Photo Credit: Itzel Segura / Prost Amerika
By: Jonny Rico
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The Mexican National Team is off to a flying start in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. El Tri made its tournament debut on Sunday evening in San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium in front of 53,133 fans where they took a 3-1 win.
It was a shaky start to the match for Mexico as El Salvador came out attacking and started causing trouble for the Mexican defense from the opening whistle. It took El Tri a few minutes to get settled into the game and start passing the ball around always looking to open up space for the long cross field passes.
“We are pleased with the result. Mexico earned a very well deserved win based on what happened during the 90 minutes,” said Luis Pompilio Paez, the Mexico assistant coach who is filling in for Juan Carlos Osorio on the side-lines while the Colombian manager serves a 6-match suspension. “But we also need to be critical of ourselves and see what we can improve. This is a group (of players) that is still learning how to compete. Some of them have a little experience with the senior side but a lot of them don’t.“
Club Leon winger Elias Hernandez put in a Man of the Match performance leading Mexico the three points and to the top of Group C table in the 2017 Gold Cup. Hernandez finished the match with a goal and two assists. He sent in a free kick cross in the eighth minute that was headed in by National Team rookie Hedgardo Marin to open the scoring.
The aggressive posture from the Central Americans lead to a quick equalizer as Nelson Bonilla slipped through the Mexican defense and latched on to a through ball and shot it past the charging Mexican goalkeeper Jesus Corona. The equalizer gave El Salvador confidence and they kept the pressure on Mexico. Corona nearly gifted them a goal when the tried to roll the ball out of the back up the middle giving the ball away to an opponent. The chip shot went slightly over the crossbar .
Hernandez restored the lead for Mexico with a volley inside of the box after a Jesus Gallardo cross from the right. And Mexico took the one goal lead to the break.
Photo Credit: Itzel Segura / Prost Amerika
El Salvador felt confident with the attacking pressure it was able to produce in the first half, especially in the early minutes and looked to come out into the second half with the same aggressive mentality. But this only lead to the Central Americans opening up spaces in their back-line which Mexico took full advantage of.
“We are feeling good,” said Derby Carrillo who was substituted into the game for El Salvador replacing injured goalkeeper Benji Villalobos. “We know we played head-to-head with them (Mexico).
“We have to leave the stadium with our heads held high and know that there is still two more games to be played.”
Elias Hernandez set up his second assist of the night when he escaped down the right wing and sent a low cross that Villalobos was unable to cut off. Second half substitute Orbelin Pineda was at the back post ready to tap the ball in to give El Tri the two goal advantage. Hernandez nearly netted a second goal in a similar play only this time he opted for the shot which he slammed into the face of Villalobos who minutes later had to be subbed out.
Both teams will now head to Denver, Colorado where they will both play the second group stage match during another double-header evening. El Salvador will take on Curacao and Mexico will take on Jamaica.
Mexico
CONCACAF Gold Cup
