Mexico scored twice in the second half to knock off France 2—0 on Thursday, putting the Mexicans in prime position to rManchester United have not seen much of Javier Hernández yet but the striker who will join them for the new season delighted the hordes of underdressed Mexican fans in chilly Polokwane by scoring the goal that set his side on the way to victory against a ragged France.
Hernández came on as 55th-minute substitute and made the breakthrough nine minutes later, beating the offside trap by a matter of inches and leaving France looking at elimination. A penalty from another substitute, the veteran Cuauhtémoc Blanco made certain of victory 12 minutes from time, taking Mexico level with Uruguay at the top of Group A and leaving France and South Africa with a point each. A point is about all France deserve after two extremely underwhelming displays at this World Cup, and though they could finish their group games with a victory over South Africa, the worry will be that Mexico and Uruguay will draw to both progress.
Mexico began as if they meant business, showing much more attacking desire than in their opening game against South Africa and giving France a couple of scares in the first 10 minutes. Giovani dos Santos was in an offide position when he struck a post after only two minutes, but France had been warned. Carlos Vela managed to stay onside when Mexico came forward again, though after expertly gathering Rafael Márquez's lofted pass, he shot early and high with his left foot. Guillermo Franco, who picked up the game's first caution for delaying the taking of a free-kick, also shot too high after easily turning Eric Abidal on the adge of the area.
France weathered that storm and gradually pushed Mexico back before producing a few attacks of their own. There was no one in the middle when Franck Ribéry crossed invitingly across the face of goal from the right, and though Jérémy Toulalan sent over an even better centre a few minutes later Florent Malouda was unable to get on the end of it. There was a definite sense, missing in most of the opening round of games, that both sides wanted to win this fixture. That would make qualification almost certain, whereas to lose, with Uruguay already on four points, would make life tricky if not impossible on the final day.
Carlos Salcido, Mexico's impressive left-back, brought the first real save of the evening from Hugo Lloris with a galloping run into the box and a shot directly at the goalkeeper, but the El Tri cause was not helped when Vela disappeared after just half an hour. He went down injured after no obvious contact with an opponent and was unable to continue. Little had been seen of Nicolas Anelka until he brought a routine save from Oscar Perez with a tame shot on the stroke of half-time, though he was indirectly involved in Toulalan collecting a caution in the last act of the first half that will put him out of the next game.
Anelka tried to shoot from a free-kick for a foul on Ribéry, but shot into the Mexican wall so meekly that the wall broke up and a downfield breakaway was launched. Toulalan could not get back in time and was obliged to block Franco near halfway to prevent the Mexican striker breaking into space.
It was hardly the biggest of surprisesc when Anelka was kept off at half time, though Raymond Domenech chose to replace him with André-Pierre Gignac rather than Thierry Henry. PSV Eindhoven's Salcido continued to show up well, cutting in from the left at the start of the second half and shaping to shoot before Bacary Sagna brought him down. Mexico produced a well worked free move from the free kick to get Dos Santos to the goal-line, only for the former Spurs player to waste the opportunity with a cross played behind his strikers.
France came back down the pitch and Malouda brought a save from Perez with a rising shot that the goalkeeper tipped over the bar, before Dos Santos wasted a couple of free-kicks at the other end by a distance that suggested the ball was to blame. Both efforts, from a fair way out, sailed so harmlessly dead it was difficult to know what he was attempting, though the look Javier Aguirre shot him from the bench on the second occasion suggested he might be wiser trying something more reliable next time.
That was rendered unnecessary by what happened next, with Hernández taking advantage of a stupendously good linesman's call to stay onside and put Mexico in front. The substitute passed backwards to Márquez then set off upfield for the return, which was timed to perfection and left Hernández the relatively simple task of gathering in space, then rounding Lloris to score. The French appealed for offside, but the flag had stayed down throughout the move, and replays showed that Hernández was onside, though by no more than a foot, when the ball was played.
France gave up without much of a fight, with neither Ribéry nor Malouda succeeding in taking the ball past opponents, and another perplexing attacking substitution by Domenech failing to make any discernible difference. Their off-night was summed up when Eric Abidal brought down Pablo Barrera for the penalty. The defender seemed to have time to pull out of the tackle when Barrera played the ball past him and drew the foul, but Abidal was either too tired or too resigned to be concerned. Contact was made, the referee was correct in pointing to the spot, and Blanco found the bottom corner. Surprisingly good last time, France are right back in the doldrums again.
© Guardian News and Media 2010
