No matter the weather, El Tri will put on a show and put everything on the pitch. Today was no different; La Seleccion Mexicana had their final matchup of the year against Japan in a rainy and foggy pitch in Austria where at one point, you could not see a thing but still managed to come out victorious 2-0. Let’s break down tonight’s matchup.

Japan kept things leveled

Today Japan appeared to want to get on the board early, creating chances from many places. Taking advantage of the poor defending and getting into the box in several instances, Japan, with seven shots and three on target, was on a mission. Mexico had five shots but none on target. The possession was pretty even, but even with Mexico having a slight advantage, they lacked the dominance they showed in their last match on Saturday against South Korea. There were four yellow cards given out, two for each team well, Hirving Lozano and Jesus Gallardo were both booked. We must mention that Guillermo Ochoa displayed world-class goalkeeping and saved El Tri from falling behind. It was evident he was the star of the team in the first half.

Ending 2020 with a bang

As expected, the second half would see modifications, and Gerardo Martino made those early. Carlos Rodriguez and Jesús Gallardo were subbed off for Edson Alvarez and Luis Rodriguez. Mexico scored at the 63rd minute with a goal from Raul Jimenez with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner. Just a minute after another set of substitutions were made, Orbelin Pineda and Raul Jimenez were subbed off, to make way for Henry Martin and Uriel Antuna.

Just four minutes after coming onto the pitch, Henry Martin assisted Hirving Lozano, who right-footed the shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner. With that goal, El Tri was up two-nil. Mexico went on to make three more adjustments in their lineup the rest of the match. They created several more opportunities and finished with eight shot attempts, four of them on target in the second half. La Seleccion wrapped up the calendar year in a stunning fashion, and we will see what 2021 has in store for the Mexican National Team.