Mexico is off and running

Mexico had just the perfect start that they would have wanted to go through into the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2014 as they beat Cameroon 1-0 in Natal. The Mexicans shrugged off their poor record against the African teams in the world cup finals and recorded an important victory that could eventually turn out o be a crucial one at the end of the group matches.

Oribe Peralta was the scorer of the only goal that came in the 15^th minute of the second half after the teams had failed to break the deadlock in the first half. Peralta was at the right position at the right time as he lashed on to the loose ball to find the back of the net after Giovanni Dos Santos’s shot was parried away by Cameroonian keeper Itandje just on the hour mark. Mexico then played away the rest of the match without much difficulty as the African side led by Samuel Eto’O failed to make inroads in the Mexican defense. Javier Hernandez got a late opportunity to put the match beyond any doubt but failed to do so.

The scoreline could have been much different had Dos Santos been not deprived controversially of two goals in the first half. On the first occasion the referee might have given the benefit of doubt to the defender but on the second occasion Dos Santos was clearly onside. But on both the instances the linesman’s flag came in as the spoiler. Giovanni’s expression said it all. However Mexico might consider them fortunate enough for this win in spite of such dubious errors on behalf of the officials and that they have secured a safer position than the other two teams in Group A- Cameroon and Croatia.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.