Saturday 4th of July, 3PM, in the first match of the round of 16
Iturbide Stadium, Morella
Mexico ended first of their group and undefeated with 10 points, while the Caribbean Federation ended 2nd of their group. The two teams know each other quite well, as they are bitter rivals who regularly play against each other in continental competitions. Mexico is the obvious favorite of this match since they have advantage of playing at home, with the whole stadium cheering for them; however, the Caribbeans also have some arguments, namely with Raheem Sterling having scored 4 goals since the beginning of the competition.
More creative and more offensive than in the first stage, The Plumed Serpents easily won against Caribbean Federation 3-1, reduced to 10 in the 36th minute following the exclusion of Léger.
The Brigadye could not deal with the serious team of Mexico and therefore are the first eliminated at this stage.
Mexico is quietly gaining strength in this World Cup without a single black cloud obscuring their results so far, and will be a formidable opponent for the winner of New Catalonia-Celtic Union.
The suspense was short-lived in this meeting, where everything was played in the first period. In a rather rhythmic start to the match, where the two teams offered a very vertical game, Mexico opened the score in the 6th minute with a free kick from Giovanni dos Santos at 19 meters. The América player strikes a powerful curved shoot on the ground level on the open side and deceives Ricardo Philippe. (6th, 1-0)
Very threatening after the Mexican goal, the Brigadye were unlucky in the 24th minute. On a corner hit on the right and badly cleared by the Russian defense, Carlos Salcedo strikes a left shot from outside the area. Unlucky, Leon Bailey is on the path and deflects the ball into his own cages (24th, 2-0). This unlucky goal calms Zetwal Wouj’s enthusiasm. Mexico then has the hand on the meeting by succeeding this break. A first period that turns into a nightmare for Caribbean, after the second yellow card for Frank Léger, who is therefore expelled.
Raul Jimenez's teammates will even aggravate the score before half time (42nd , 3-0). On a corner played on the right, Rafa Marquez jumps higher than everyone else, his head is pushed back on his line by Philippe but Chicharito appears to conclude from close distance. A deserved goal for the former Manchester United striker, who has again spared no efforts, and scores his 3rd goal of this World Cup.
3-0 at halftime for the Plumed Serpents, Caribbeans at 10, the match is folded in 45 minutes.
The second period began on a high note as the Caribbean returned to the field with new intentions. After making a siege of several minutes on Ochoa’s goals, the Brigadye obtained a corner. Sterling and Beauvais play it short together and the Citizen offers a perfect cross for De La Côte who propels the ball into the back of Ochoa's nets (58th, 3-1).
The Mexicans, without really trying, obtain a good number of chances but do not manage to increase the score. In total control against a Caribbean selection exhausted by dint of running behind the ball, the Plummed serpents are content to manage the score until the end of the game.
THE MATCH NOTE (70/100)
General show (16/20): We like to watch pleasant matches like this one, with a high technicity and nice occasions. Mexico definitely played a great partition today in front of pleased fans. Caribbeans also displayed a high-level when they had the ball, but it was too rare to make a difference.
Opportunities and Goals (15/20): A lot of thrills during this meeting! Four goals, numerous attempts from Mexico and a very nice free kick. Mexico displayed a great domination in the first half with a siege on Philippe’s goal. In the beginning of the second half, it was Raheem Sterling and his teammates who were restless, but the end of the second half was much more quiet when Mexico managed to stay put and control the game.
Technical quality (15/20): Ah, the Mexican technical mastery is impressive. The quality of keeping the ball is splendid, incomparable. Dos Santos’ free-kick was wonderful, and the cross of Sterling on the Caribbean goal is perfect. We liked the impressive number of dribbling on one-to-one situations on both sides. With so many opportunities, that means a lot of them were failed attempts, and there were some very poor shots.
Scenario and suspense (9/20): The match ended up being pretty much like we imagined it would be. Not much of surprises or sudden twists. When the score is 3-0 at 11 against 10, it’s very likely that team will end up victorious.
Bonus and penalty (15/20): For this category, we explain to you, we start from 10/20 at each kick-off and we inflate or lower the score according to our own subjective criteria (we are the jury, we do what we want) :
+2 Giovanni Dos Santos’ free kick which surprised Ricardo Philippe (and everyone else) in the very beginning of the match.
-2 The performance of Raul Jimenez, who ended up striking so many shots in the stands that we suspect he just wanted to please his fans with free balls.
+2 Javier Hernandez in his typical old school goal poacher style, appearing at the right time and right place to score.
+3 The amazing fervor displayed by Mexican fans in the stands. The stadium was all green, and the clamor of the crowd might have influenced the referee when it came to sanctions against Caribbeans.
3 GIFS THAT SUMMARIZE THE MATCH
His teammate’s reaction after Dos Santos’ free-kick
Raul Jimenez when shooting
The referee whenever he had to make a decision
Final score :
Mexican Empire 3:1 Federation of Caribbean Socialist Republics
(Dos Santos 6’, Bailey 24' (OG), Hernandez 42’)(De La Côte 58’)