Mexican Empire:
Coach: Miguel Herrera
Lineup:
Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa
Hiram Mier (84. Rafa Marquez)
Carlos Salcedo
Miguel Layún
Hirving Lozano
Érick Aguirre
Giovani dos Santos
Rodolfo Pizarro (58. Jesus Dueñas)
Jonathan dos Santos
Javier Hernandez
Carlos Cisneros (69. Oribe Peralta)
Provence:
Coach: Patrick Vieira
Lineup:
Hugo Lloris
Lucas Hernandez
Malang Sarr
Theo Hernandez
Yassine Meriah
Nicolo Barella
Jordan Ferri
Stefano Sturaro
Wahbi Khazri
Bilal Boutobba
Ludovic Ajorque
from pilkarski.mm
San Cristóbal Resort Field, Cancún
Mexico 1 - 1 Provence
Goals:
10' Javier Hernandez
20' Wahbi Khazri
Referee: Amr Muhammad Zahir (Khemia) - Grade: C+
No mistakes as the match was easy to referee. It was correct not to book Hiram Mier (59', played the ball)
The opener of the 2020 World Cup, unlike many openers before (especially the 2018 one, in which five goals were scored by Russia), was very poor and ended up long-winded. Much of the game took place in midfield, and opportunities were few and far between, especially as Mexico tried to park the bus and seemed content with a draw even after Provence's equaliser.
Both Mexico and Provence fielded their best starting elevens mostly. However, Patrick Vieira, instead of Valerie Germain, brought on Bilal Boutobba on the right wing against the rather slow, but physically strong Mexican defence. Also, Nicòlo Barella, who had a breakout season at Inter Milan was preferred over Benjamin Andre.
The game began wide open and it looked like another opening match of a World Cup with many goals and opportunities could be ahead. And indeed, chances for Mexico began early. Lloris already had to intervene against Hernandez's header (4') and Malang Sarr deflected an excellent shot by Rodolfo Pizarro (8'), even keeping the ball in play. In the 10th minute, Giovanni dos Santos outran Yassine Meriah. The cross to Javier Hernandez was deflected for a corner by Theo Hernandez.
Jonathan dos Santos brought the corner into the box, and the Provençal defence left Javier Hernandez relatively unmarked. Theo Hernandez got outjumped and Hernandez could, relatively freely, head the ball into the back of the net for the first goal of the 2020 AHFA World Cup! 1-0 to the hosts Mexico (10')!
Provence's best chance up to this point had been a strike by Wahbi Khazri that went far wide of the goal (4'). But Provence seemed reinvigorated, and the Mexicans had their issues with the quick passing play. And thus, it was only a matter of time until Provence scored. It did come surprisingly quickly though, when Miguel Layún stopped Bilal Boutobba unfairly 20 metres in front of goal, centrally before the penalty box. Layún was correctly booked - it was not a professional foul as other defenders were around and Ajorque would not have been free to run on goal. But the foul earned the Provençal team a free kick. Mexican players expected an indirect free kick, i.e. a cross or pass, but Wahbi Khazri attempted it directly! And, to the shock of all Mexican defenders, it went into the back of the net! Possibly, Ochoa could have saved it, but this was not a mistake on the part of the goalkeeper, just a wonderful goal and a surprise move! 1-1 Wahbi Khazri (20')!
Hopes rose high for a beautiful opening match, but it was not to be. Both Mexico and Provence seemed content with this draw, and until the half-time whistle blew, nothing much happened except for passing in the midfield. Provence made at least some half-hearted attempts at offensive play.
And this was to continue in the second half: Mexico didn't do much anymore. On the other hand, Provence at least tried to use this to their advantage. Attempts by Khazri (50') and a header from Ajorque (55') posed no real danger to Ochoa, a cross from Boutobba was easily cleared by Hiram Mier. The only honestly dangerous move in the entire remainder of the game came from a superb run on the left wing. Stefano Sturaro passed the ball to Wahbi Khazri at just the right moment, and only a brilliant and fair tackle by Carlos Salcedo stopped Khazri from finishing this excellent move (65').
Afterwards, even substitutions changed nothing. Both Mexico and Provence tried a few counterattacks, but the last 25 minutes of the game did not even see a single corner or a free kick from even a half-decent position. Celebration rose high, though, as the legendary Rafa Marquez was substituted in for the last minutes of the game and thus officially played at six World Cups, making this - the record of five was already jointly held by him together with Gianluigi Buffon, Antunas Sakarauskas and Przemyslaw Cziełmesz - a record all for himself.
As the full-time whistle blew, several thousand fans, especially neutral ones, had already left the stadium and are now looking forward to better and higher-scoring matches in Guadalajara, Mérida and Veracruz.
