Mexico

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Tweo teams with contrasting World Cup preparation plans met in a warm up friendly in Brussels. Italy, playing their first such game, faced Mexico at the end of their eight match odyssey of friendly fixtures. Perhaps then, it was the disparity in their states of readiness that produced a semi-surprising Mexican victory. This was a much needed morale boosting win against a top team for the Mexicans, following defeats against England and the Netherlands and it leaves them looking in good shape ahead of the finals and their opening game against hosts South Africa.

Arsenal’s Carlos Vela opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute and the scoreline remained unchanged until late on when Alberto Medina doubled the advantage for Mexico. The Italians salvaged some pride in the last minute when Bari centre-back Leonardo Bonucci scored his first ever international goal in only his second appearance for his country.

Italy 1-2 Mexico (03/06/2010)

Strating Line-ups:

Italy:
Buffon
Cannavaro
Bonucci
Criscito
Zambrotta
De Rossi
Pirlo
Gilardino
Marchisio
Di Natale
Iaquinta

Substitutions:
45 Pepe for Di Natale
63 Maggio for Zambrotta
63 Pazzini for Gilardino
75 Quagliarella for De Rossi
82 Palombo for Pirlo
88 Bocchetti for Cannavaro

Mexico:
Perez
Rodríguez
Osorio
Salcido
Aguilar
Marquez
Torrado
Juarez
Vela
Hernandez
Dos Santos

Substitutions:
45 Barrera for Marquez
52 Medina for Dos Santos
69 Moreno for Rodríguez
71 Blanco for Hernandez
83 Castro for Vela
87 Guardado for Juarez

Goals:
Vela (17)
Medina (84)
Bonucci (89)

Mexico continued their epic World Cup warm up series of friendlies with a crushing victory over an admittedly weak Gambia team in Bayreuth. This was the Mexican’s seventh of eight scheduled preparation matches in under a month and they returned to winning ways following defeats against England and the Netherlands last week.

The scoreline obviously indicates an easy victory for Mexico but they were at least made to work hard in the first half, the flood of goals only materialising after the interval. The solitary strike before half time came from Manchester United’s new hitman Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez in the 18th minute, and it was he who doubled the lead early in the second period, his sixth and seventh goals in eleven appearances in the Mexican shirt.

Adolfo Herrera Bautista further extended the lead in the 59th minute, shortly before Gambia got what was to prove only a consolation goal. Another strike from Bautista and one from Alberto Medina of Chivas rounded off the scoring. Mexico’s final preparation match is against Italy in Brussels on the 3rd of June and they will then play in the opening World Cup fixture against hosts South Africa in Johannesburg on the 11th of June.

Gambia 1-5 Mexico (30/05/2010)

Starting Line-up:
Michel
Márquez
Pinedo Rodriguez
Salcido
Herrera Moreno
Guardado
Macias Castro
J. Dos santos
Vela
Herrera Bautista
Hernandez

Substitutions:
46 Barrera for Macias Castro
56 Blanco for Vela
56 Medina for Hernandez
77 Nilo Torres for Salcido
77 Magallon for Herrera Moreno

Goals:
Hernandez (18)
Hernandez (50)
Bautista (59)
Sohna (65)
Bautista (74) 
Medina (81)