Mexico earned a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in a friendly on Saturday night as El Tri launched a stretch of summer matches in preparation for the 2022 World Cup.
In what was the first match of Coach José Peseiro as Head Coach of the Super Eagles, a largely under-strength squad fought courageously and commendably against CONCACAF ‘s perennial champions.
Peseiro opted for a flexible and interesting 3-5-2 formation, with Moses Simon and Calvin Bassey deployed as wing backs, and Joe Aribo, Alex Iwobi and Innocent Bonke serving in midfield. Cyriel Dessers and Terem Moffi searched for the goals.
In front of 56,872 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Mexico took an early lead when Cruz Azul’s Santiago Gimenez found the back of the net in the 12th minute. Through an assist from Monterrey’s Jesus Gallardo, Gimenez’s shot pinballed between himself and goalkeeper Francis Uzoho before crossing the goal line.
By the halftime whistle, El Tri found themselves with a narrow 1-0 advantage, but with eight shots in their favor in comparison to Nigeria’s total of zero.
The Super Eagles leveled the scoreline in the 54th minute through their first opportunity on target. Following a well-placed cross from Calvin Bassey, Cyriel Dessers forced an error from Mexican goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota, who fumbled the ball into his net.
Moments afterwards, Mexico would take the lead once again after their opposition made a mistake of their own. After a hard pass from Gallardo on the left flank, defender William Troost-Ekong accidentally launched the ball past his goalkeeper through a poor clearance.
Looking to extend the lead for his CONCACAF squad, manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino began to make substitutions in the second half that pushed his side further up the pitch. Although the introduction of substitutions like Diego Lainez, Erick Gutierrez and Orbelin Pineda helped create more chances in the final third, the scoreline remained once the final whistle was blown.
“As a striker, you’re always looking to score goals. Thankfully I scored today and I think that gives strikers a lot of confidence,” said Gimenez in the post-game press conference.
On Friday, Martino told media that he recently had a conversation with LA Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer who hasn’t earned a call-up since 2019, but also reiterated that he continues to have trust in attacking options like Gimenez.
For the Eagles, home –based professionals Sani Faisal, Victor Mbaoma, Chiamaka Madu and Ishaq Kayode who came in after the first 45 minutes, also gave good account of themselves.
“I am happy with what we put up out there. It was the first time after the disappointment of the World Cup playoff and you can say this is a makeshift team, while Mexico had their full-strength squad out there. I like what I saw today and I have confidence that we have appointed the right coach that can restore the glory of the Super Eagles and make them start winning once more,” President of the NFF and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Pinnick, said after the game.
Nigeria had eight shots on goal compared to Mexico’s 12, while Uzoho made four saves as against Cota’s one.
The Eagles are scheduled to fly to New Jersey on Sunday morning, ahead of Thursday’s clash with Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison.
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