There's a reason Mexico coach Javier Aguirre wanted so many tuneup matches before the World Cup.
Alberto Medina bailed Mexico out Monday night, scoring four minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute to lift El Tri to a 1-0 victory over Senegal. But the score should have been far more lopsided as Mexico struggled to finish, squandering opportunities for at least a few more goals three days after a 0-0 draw with Ecuador. Former Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco missed a one-on-one from point-blank range, and Javier ``Chicharito'' Hernandez missed another from less than 5 yards out.
``I am concerned and I am focused on it,'' Aguirre said. ``It's true we didn't have too many opportunities in this game, but that's my focus.''
Mexico next plays Angola on Thursday in Houston before heading home to host Chile, a fellow World Cup qualifier, at Azteca Stadium. El Tri then goes to Europe for friendlies against England, the Netherlands and Italy before opening against host South Africa on June 11.
Drawn into Group A with host South Africa, 1998 World Cup champion France and Uruguay, Mexico is a favorite to get out of the first round. But the young team has been sloppy in the first two games of its three-game U.S. tour, mistakes that will be far more costly in South Africa.
Mexico did look sharper than it did against Ecuador, controlling possession and finishing with a 12-6 shots advantage - with most of Senegal's chances coming in the frenetic final minutes. But time after time, El Tri turned should have been crisp passes into turnovers. When they had shots, too often they went straight into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Khadim Ndiaye.
``It can't be satisfying for a World Cup team,'' Senegal coach Joseph Marie Koto said. ``But these are good practice games right now, to see where Mexico is standing.''
The addition of Medina and Blanco in the 56th minute immediately energized El Tri - and not just because of the loud cheers and whistles in honor of Blanco's homecoming. Medina challenged Ndiaye right away with a nice run the first time he touched the ball. In the 60th minute, Andres Guardado, also a second-half substitute, sent a long pass upfield that was clearly going to outpace Medina.
Ndiaye came out to collect the ball but bobbled it and Medina, who'd never slowed down, collected the rebound. With Ndiaye on the ground and no one else close to the goal, Medina buried his shot into the far corner of the net, setting off raucous cheers from the sellout crowd of 60,610.
``We know what's going on, we know the opponent in the second half,'' Aguirre said. ``They were able to jump in the game really quickly.''
Hernandez, set to join Manchester United next season, had a chance to double the score a few minutes later, but duffed a wide-open shot from less than 5 yards out. Blanco had a point-blank shot in the 89th minute, but it sailed right into Ndiaye's arms.
Senegal, which spent much of the game packed together defensively and seemed to have little interest in offense, came alive in the last few minutes of the game with several runs deep into Mexico territory. But the Lions of Teranga, who failed to qualify for the first World Cup in Africa, didn't have the polish to match their pace.
``In great games, you have only a few opportunities,'' Aguirre said. ``You need to score them.''
