Mexico continued its improvement over the past two matches and exited the FIFA U-20 World Cup with dignity after a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Spain on Tuesday.
The pain of Jesé's deflected winner on the stroke of full time will linger for some time to come, but this promising group can eventually take solace in a defiant and resolute display against the favorites to lift the title in Istanbul on July 13.
Coping with the tiki-taka of Spain presented Mexico with an opportunity to lean on its strengths – permitting the other side to accept the burden of pushing the game and playing on the counter – and vie for an unexpected result. Sergio Almaguer's side produced a performance worthy of snatching something from the game and showed why it entered this tournament as one of the outsiders to lift the title.
Much of the positive the work on the day stemmed from the stunning opener after just two minutes. Raúl López hit a deep, swooping cross from the middle third toward the back post. Arturo González met the sumptuous service with a rasping first-time volley to stake El Tri to a shocking early lead.
González's well-taken goal allowed Mexico to establish its defensive shape and focus on disrupting Spain's work in possession. Spain did not require much in the way of disruption during the first half, but Mexico's compact shape prevented the favorites from sliding into a higher gear before the interval. A willingness to swarm Gerard Deulofeu every time he touched the ball further restricted Spain's options.
Jese celebrates with teammates after scoring Spain's winner against Mexico (Photo: Ozan Kose/Getty Images).
Its inability to procure another goal (Corona eventually wasted another good chance in the second half) or retain possession for any length of time ultimately facilitated its undoing. Spain lacked its usual sharpness in dangerous areas until the final quarter of an hour, but the usual neat work in the middle third exacted a significant physical toll as Mexico chased, closed and harried for much of the affair.
The corresponding fatigue played a role in the equalizer as Mexico dropped its concentration from a set piece. The manner of the goal – a corner kick from the left, an unmarked flick by Denis Suárez (Deulofeu's replacement) at the near post and Derik's unimpeded finish at the back post – betrayed all of the hard defensive work done up until that point and underscored the task ahead to take the match to extra time.
Jesé dashed those hopes in devastating fashion. His clever run from the left side created an opening to shoot on the outside of the penalty area. He drove low and hard toward goal, though the effort looked fairly straightforward for Richard Sánchez until it deflected off Abel Fuentes en route to goal. The ricochet caught Sanchez flatfooted and diverted the attempt into the net to send the favorites through to a quarterfinal tie on Saturday.
Mexico may have booked that place on a different day after a creditable submission against Spain, but a berth in the quarterfinals probably would have flattered its contributions to the competition. Almaguer and his players should have avoided this particular challenge in the round of 16 by taking care of business during the group stage. The defeat against Greece, in particular, loomed as the potential turning point for a side that squandered far too many opportunities in front of goal to reach the latter stages of the competition.
Although this run did not meet initial expectations, it did provide some positives to take forward for the future. The group improved as the tournament processed and mustered its best two showings in its final two matches. Several players – most notably Corona and Espericueta – reinforced their credentials as potential national team options in the future. And there is little shame in exiting any tournament after a narrow loss to Spain.
Although the result will sting for quite some time nonetheless, it applies a rather helpful gloss to an inconsistent four matches in Turkey. Mexico did not do enough to fulfill the lofty objectives set forth prior to the trip, but it still returns home with its pride intact after a noble defeat and a pair of positive performances to conclude its World Cup journey.
