The Under 23 team Argentina was, clearly, from highest to lowest. He had won the first duel of the friendly series against Mexico (4-2) in Aztec lands with an interesting production. However, late on Monday night, the local team took revenge and won 3-0in a meeting that He exposed several weak points to Javier Mascherano’s team. Santiago Muñoz (38m, penalty) and Ramiro Árciga (63m and 93m) scored the goals for Mexico, in this preparation match for the Olympic Games that was held in Puebla.
In the first half Argentina showed a regression. Because it started with control of the ball, with dynamics, with good intentions on the offensive side. However, there were few connections. Paz did not find partners in the creative part, and above everything was subject to the deployment of Gondou, determined to show himself as an alternative, while Echeverri was disconnected from the rest.
Thus the first minutes passed, with a favorable development but few arrivals. Lacking depth, Mascherano’s team barely tried with a couple of mid-range shots from Nardoni and Paz. With less possession, Mexico began to approach with risk. He warned with a shot from Bryan González that Luján cleared almost on the goal line.
Around half an hour Argentina had its best chance, in a combination in which Gondou was alone against Tapia, but the Aztec goalkeeper won the duel. There would be no more for the Albiceleste, because from then on everything belonged to the tricolor team. Iacovich, who came to the tour as a substitute for Leandro Brey – he was left as a starter in Boca due to Sergio Romero’s injury -, stood out with a phenomenal double save against López and Bryan González.
The Estudiantes goalkeeper became a figure in a matter of minutes. The Argentine game declined noticeably, and Mexico found a huge field to advance behind Vega. Santiago Muñoz sneaked in there, and Luján, in the attempt to close, committed a penalty, which Muñoz himself sent into the net. Completely blurred, the Argentine team could have suffered another fall in its goal, but Iacovich was attentive to save against Diego Medina, after a very bad start from the back.
Argentina improved somewhat at the start of the second half, with the entry of Medina, who gave them deployment in the middle and a greater offensive vocation. But, again, the best was in a couple of mid-range shots with a couple of left-handed shots from Vega. The albiceleste team had the ball, but it was not dangerous. Stopped on the counterattack, Mexico had even more space than in the first half. The entered Árciga had so much ground, that he was encouraged and shook from outside the area to make it 2-0, with a shot that went in close to the left post.
Mascherano looked for more offensive changes, but the team always lacked the final touch, without the clarity it had had in last Friday’s game. He was not enough with the income of Beltrán, Almada and Solari. With the team focused on attack, a new loss led to another Mexican counterattack; Árciga, with time and space, punished with a right cross for the final 3-0. More practical, more incisive (two shots in the second half, two goals), Mexico was left with revenge, and left a few doubts in the return suitcases of the albiceleste team.
The match summary
The synthesis:
Argentina: Fabricio Iacovich; Juan Nardoni, Gonzalo Luján, Aaron Quirós and Román Vega; Juan Sforza and Alan Varela (ST, at the beginning, Cristian Medina); Santiago Castro (14m ST, Lucas Beltrán) and Nicolás Paz (21m ST, Matías Soulé); Claudio Echeverri (14m ST, Thiago Almada) and Luciano Gondou (30m ST, Pablo Solari). Coach: Javier Mascherano.
Mexico: Fernando Tapia; Pablo Monroe (30m ST, Huescas), Jorge Berlanga, Ramon Juarez and Mateo Chavez (9m ST, Alan Bautista); Diego Gomez, Rodrigo Lopez and Victor Lopez (30m ST, Iron); Diego Medina and Bryan Gonzalez; James Munoz (18m ST, Ettson Iron). DT: Richard Chain.
Goals: PT; at 38m, Muñoz, from a penalty; ST, at 18m, Árciga, and at 48m, Árciga.
Referee; Victor Caceres.
Stadium: Cuauhtemoc, Puebla.