Wales 1-0 Mexico
There were celebrations all around in Cardiff as Wales picked up a 1-0 win over Mexico in their international friendly.
Kieffer Moore scored the game’s decisive goal after just 11 minutes to give Wales captain Chris Gunter the win on the night when he became the first player to be capped 100 times for his country.
The win was a much-needed result for the Welsh, who were coming off a tough 3-1 defeat to Belgium. They were not favoured to win at home by the international friendly 2021 betting odds against the Mexicans, who are ranked no. 9 in the FIFA World Rankings.
But even after making wholesale changes to their side following the Belgium loss, the Dragons were still able to claim the victory over El Tri.
Highlights of the game
With their upcoming World Cup 2022 qualifier against the Czech Republic likely in mind, Wales caretaker manager Robert Page made some international friendly 2021 news as he named a completely changed starting XI from the one that lost to Belgium a few days ago.
That meant that Gareth Bale was only on the bench. But more importantly, Chris Gunter came in to skipper the side on his historic 100th cap for his country.
And Wales fans would be celebrating just 11 minutes into the match as they took the lead through Kieffer Moore.
Wales wing-back Jonny Williams sent in a fine cross to his Cardiff City team-mate Moore, who controlled the ball well, kept his composure and coolly slotted the ball past Mexico keeper Memo Ochoa.
However, the replay showed Wales were clearly offside in the build-up to the goal. But as Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal also found out the hard way, there is no VAR in international football, and Wales were the big beneficiaries of that blown call by the linesman.
The Mexicans came close to equalising on 36 minutes as Jesus Corona made a good run down the left-hand side, but he couldn’t hit the target with his shot from a tight angle.
A few minutes later, young Wales midfielder Dylan Levitt tried his luck with a shot from distance, which did not trouble Ochoa. And on the other end, Mexico full-back Luis Rodriguez’s powerful shot on the stroke of half-time went straight at Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey.
El Tri’s best chance to score came on 55 minutes as Orbelin Pineda delivered a wonderful through ball to Hirving Lozano. But the Napoli star’s shot was well-saved by the legs of Hennessey.
Meanwhile, Pineda also tried his luck with a long-range effort on 76 minutes, but Hennessey looked to have his goal covered as the shot bounced just wide.
Corona had one last shot at salvaging a draw, but his shot in stoppage time blazed over the bar as the Welsh held on for the win.
Key statistics
Mexico had the significant statistical advantage against a second-string Wales side. They controlled 76 per cent of possession and had nine total shots to Wales’ four. But Mexico’s less-than-clinical finishing let them down in the end.
The win was Wales’ first in five meetings against Mexico. The Mexicans had won two and drawn two of their previous four games.
Mexico have lost for the first time since a 4-0 defeat to Argentina since September 2019. The had won nine of their previous 10 international matches, scoring at least once in all 10 games.
Meanwhile, Wales are now unbeaten in their last nine internationals at Cardiff City Stadium (eight wins, one draw), with their last defeat coming against Denmark in the Nations League in November 2018.
While Gunter is the first player to earn 100 caps for Wales, Wayne Hennessey is close to becoming a centurion himself. The 34-year-old got his 95th international cap, and he made a crucial contribution to their victory.
What’s next?
Wales will be back in World Cup 2022 qualifying action as they host the Czech Republic in a few days. The Czechs are coming off two impressive results — a 6-2 thrashing of Estonia and a 1-1 draw over Belgium — so they will pose quite a challenge to the Welsh. So stay tuned to SBOTOP for all the upcoming World Cup qualifying action this week.
As for Mexico, they will look to bounce back from their defeat in their next friendly scheduled this week against Costa Rica. And they will face the Costa Ricans again during the next international break, which will be in the Concacaf Nations League in June.
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