England 1, Mexico 1

England 1, Mexico 1

Published Jun. 29, 2011 6:04 p.m. ET

Mexico played to a 1-1 draw with England at the Women's World Cup on Monday behind a goal on a 30-yard shot by Monica Ocampo.

Ocampo struck in the 33rd minute for her country's second World Cup goal and first since 1999.

Fara Williams had given England the lead in the 21st minute from a corner kick before a crowd of 18,702 at Wolfsburg Arena. In the final minutes, England's Kelly Smith and Ocampo both came close to scoring on free kicks.

In the day's other Group B game, Japan defeated New Zealand 2-1 in Bochum on a curling free kick in the 68th minute by star player Aya Miyama.

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''Today is a very special day for Mexican football,'' Mexico coach Leonardo Cuellar said. ''I didn't like the beginning of it ... I liked the end.''

England's coach Hope Powell said, ''I'm pleased that we didn't lose the game, disappointed we didn't win it.''

Mexico's captain Maribel Dominguez had the game's first scoring chance in the fourth minute, but she hesitated after breaking in on goal, allowing Faye White enough time to clear away the ball.

England missed several chances, with Mexico goalie Cecilia Santiago stopping Rachel Yankey's long-range shot before making two quick saves on shots by Williams.

Dominguez had another chance in the 49th minute but her shot from close range went just wide of the net.

''If you felt you had opportunities to win the game, then you're disappointed,'' Powell said. ''Basically, we've got to recover and go again.''

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