The Mexican National Team drew goalless against Ecuador in their last match prior to the Nations League. The team had been emotionally shaken after the rout against Uruguay and needed to obtain a positive result against the team led by Gustavo Alfaro. El Tri could not get the victory, but calmed down a bit after the harsh criticism suffered during the last days.
Mexico had a slight improvement compared to the duel played against Uruguay in the middle of the week. Gerardo Martino opted for the most experienced players and was a little more solid. During the first half, Jesús Gallardo came down the left side and threw an interesting serve, which Jesús ‘Tecatito’ Corona managed to connect. The goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez managed to deflect correctly. Barely at minute 28, Corona had to leave the field of play after being shaken on this play.
The South American team improved after this move and also created dangerous options. At minute 35, Francisco Guillermo Ochoa made a great save to prevent the Ecuadorian goal. Romario Ibarra received a delayed ball inside the area and took an interesting shot, but the Águilas del América player had a brutal reaction to avoid the fall of his frame. It seems that the CONMEBOL team finished the first part of the match better.
In the 51st minute, Ibarra entered the area free again, beat Jorge Sánchez on his back, and finished off with a header. The Pachuca footballer forgave one of the clearest plays of the entire duel. At 69, Orbelín Pineda leaked a very good ball inside the area for Raúl Jiménez to arrive, but the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker defined it wide.
At minute 78, after a play worked from the corner, Jesús Gallardo finished off with a volley and was about to surprise Domínguez and score a great goal. Just a couple of minutes later, the meeting was stopped due to the appearance of the homophobic shout. There was no time for much else. The duel was characterized by intensity and physical contact.
Mexico still does not show a good face. If Ecuador’s strikers had come out finer, the result would have been different. Despite the slight improvement, the outlook is not positive for El Tri.
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