Despite struggling to earn a victory in their first three hexagonal World Cup qualification matches, Mexico had a chance to take control of their qualifying bracket Tuesday night against Jamaica. While were certainly not playing up to their capabilities heading into their contest against the same Jamaican team they began qualifying against, Mexico would jump from sixth place to first place with a win over the Reggae Boyz.
Previous Meeting in 2013
Meeting Jamaica for the second times in just under 4 months, El Tri knew they'd need a stronger performance then the one they showed in the February 4th 0-0 draw to begin their hexagonal qualifying round. Playing in front of the home crowd at the Estadio Azteca earlier this season, the Mexican national team was booed off the field at the halftime break and didn't make much change moving forward, fortunate enough to leave the match without a loss although the draw didn't do them much good anyway.
Tuesday Night Highlights
El Tri had the only two legitimate scoring chances in the first 45 minutes of their second meeting with Jamaica, starting with an opportunity for Aldo De Nigris. Taking a beautiful feed from teammate Pablo Barrera who was at the top of the box, De Nigris got his header attempt on target but a quick save was made by Jamaican keeper Donovan Ricketts.
Attempting to keep Ricketts on his toes as the first half continued, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez nearly broke the scoreless tie in the 33rd minute. Accepting a feed from Andres Guardado, Chicharito missed a goal from outside the box when his shot went just wide of the bottom left corner.
While Mexico's offense was certainly showing signs of life, they had nothing to show on the scoreboard as El Tri went into the locker room against Jamaica once again in a 0-0 halftime stalemate.
Second Half Surge
The Mexican nationals came busting out of the gates to start the second half however, as the offense continued to control time of possession.
Taking a beautiful feed from Carlos Salcido in the 48th-minute, Aldo De Nigris capitalized on his second scoring opportunity, this time heading a shot past Donovan Ricketts giving Mexico a 1-0 advantage.
El Tri goalie Jose Corona would protect the lead moments later, stopping two crucial shots in the 53rd-minute as the Jamaican nationals were trying to build some offensive momentum of their own. Corona first stopped a low shot attempt diving to his right and then threw himself in front of an attempt off a beautiful corner kick and feed in front, keeping Mexico ahead in the match.
Wrap-Up
The De Nigris goal early in the second half was all the offense El Tri needed as they were able to hold on for the 1-0 World Cup Qualifying victory.
Turning aside multiple Jamaica opportunities in the second frame - mostly due to the stellar play of their netminder Jose Corona - Mexico finally cracked the win column and earned a much-needed victory as they continue their quest toward a 2014 World Cup berth.
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