Doha: Mexico’s incapacity to attain or cease Lionel Messi has put the workforce on the sting of lacking the knockout stage on the World Cup for the primary time since 1978.
Mexico has gone with out a World Cup purpose for 384 minutes since their second group stage match on the 2018 match in Russia. The scoring drought continued Saturday evening in Qatar with a 2-0 loss to Messi and Argentina, dropping El Tri to final place in Group C.
Mexico has one remaining recreation, towards Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. El Tri can now not win the group however must beat Saudi Arabia to have an opportunity of putting second and advancing to the spherical of 16 for the eighth straight World Cup.
Nonetheless, a win is probably not sufficient. If Poland and Argentina draw of their remaining Group C match, or if Argentina wins, purpose distinction will decide who locations second.
“We’re damage, however so long as the chance exists, we should proceed combating,” defender Nestor Araujo mentioned. “Whereas there’s a probability, we’ll combat.”
Mexico head coach Tata Martino instructs the bench throughout a match in 2019. File picture: USA TODAY Sports activities by way of Reuters
Mexico got here to Qatar seeking to advance previous the spherical of 16 and play in an elusive quinto partido a fifth recreation one thing the workforce hasn’t achieved since internet hosting the 1986 match.
With out objectives, Mexico needed to rely on stalwart goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who stopped Robert Lewandowski’s penalty try and protect a scoreless attract El Tri’s World Cup opener towards Poland.
However Ochoa was helpless towards Messi’s second-half blast from distance within the sixty fourth minute on Saturday evening. Enzo Hernandez added a second purpose for Argentina within the waning minutes.
On the remaining whistle, Ochoa and Messi grasped arms, and the goalkeeper recognized by his nickname Memo affectionately patted a gloved hand on his opponent’s head. Ochoa didn’t converse to reporters after the sport.
We did our job and sadly we left with defeat, Mexico ahead Henry Martin mentioned.
So it hurts, however tomorrow we now have to be excited about what’s subsequent within the subsequent recreation, as a result of we now have one final probability and we now have to benefit from it.
It is likely to be the ultimate World Cup for each males, who in Qatar every joined an unique membership of gamers who’ve been to 5 editions of of the match.
Like Argentina is determined by Messi, El Tri have regarded to Ochoa due to their sputtering offense. Ochoa’s save of Lewandowski’s penalty try added to a World Cup mystique that began when he fended off six Brazilian photographs together with a harmful header from Neymar in a group-stage draw towards the hosts within the 2014 World Cup.
However Ochoa’s efforts could not conceal a scarcity of offense. The final two gamers who scored for Mexico, again within the group stage in 2018, have been Javier Chicharito” Hernandez and Carlos Vela, who weren’t on the roster for Mexico in Qatar.
Mexico coach Gerardo Tata Martino, who’s from Argentina, drew criticism for his roster decisions, together with the snub of Chicharito, Mexico’s all-time main scorer who hasn’t performed for his nationwide workforce since 2019.
El Tri has by no means overwhelmed Argentina in 4 makes an attempt on the World Cup, and Martino’s worst defeat as Mexico coach was by the hands of his countrymen in September 2019, when Lautaro Martnez scored a hat trick in a 4-0 win.