Mexico Out But Not Down After Elimination
 Steve Brisendine - AP
| | Mexico's soccer fans react after their 2-1 extra time loss to Argentina in the Argentina against Mexico Round of 16 World Cup soccer match in Mexico City's central plaza, Zocalo, in Mexico. (AP/Marco Ugarte) |
This time, Mexico is out but not down. Sure, there were tears of frustration after Argentina's 2-1 second-round win in extra time on Saturday. After all, this was a team that had predicted its first World Cup semifinal berth, not its fourth straight second-round loss.
Defender Mario Mendez stood on the field, fighting tears. Zinha, the naturalized Brazilian midfielder, clapped his hands to acknowledge the Mexican fans. Forward Jared Borgetti, injured for much of the tournament, was one of the last players to leave, looking grim after a scoreless night in what might have been his final World Cup game.
But there was little sign of the rage, in the stadium or at home, that followed El Tri's 2-0 loss to the United States in the second round of the 2002 tournament. Instead, there was a sort of grudging admiration for the way Argentina won it — on Maxi Rodriguez's left-footed blast from outside the area in the 98th minute.
"Mexico was pushing for a goal," said captain Rafael Marquez, who was ejected from the 2002 game for head-butting the United States' Cobi Jones. "Then they got a great goal that took us out."
After the way Mexico played in the first round, though, few expected El Tri to take Argentina, a two-time Cup champion, past regulation. With one win, one loss and one draw in its Group D games, Mexico went into Saturday night's game as a heavy underdog.
"There is no doubt that today, the world is recognizing Mexico," coach Ricardo Lavolpe said.
Mexico's fans, who were especially hard on Lavolpe after Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Portugal in the group finale, were in a more forgiving mood on Saturday.
"You can't blame Lavolpe. And you can't blame the team. They played great," Ariel Gutierrez, a 23-year-old chef, said in Mexico City. "Our boys were beaten by a better team."
Juan Chavez, a construction worker, agreed.
"They played like heroes," Chavez said with tears in his eyes. "But Argentina was an awesome adversary."
Mexico took the game to Argentina early, going up 1-0 in the sixth minute when Marquez slipped behind the defense and scored off a corner kick and Mario Mendez's back header.
But Hernan Crespo equalized four minutes later, and Mexico sustained another blow when free-kick specialist Pavel Pardo went out with a pulled right hamstring in the 38th minute. Without him, the team couldn't run its set pieces — always a strength — as effectively.
"I felt it pop," Pardo said. "I tried to keep playing, to play through it, but I couldn't."
Midfielder Zinha, a late second-half substitute, created several chances with his speed up the middle, but Mexico could never finish any of them.
And in the end, it was Rodriguez, who wasn't even planning to shoot, who finished off the Mexicans.
"You need a bit of luck," Lavolpe said. "I have no doubt about that." |
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News Around the Republic of Mexico | June 2006 
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