Mexico took the field on a hot summer day on June 5th 2016 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, to a roaring crowd who had high expectations of this 8-0 team. A giant Mexico TIFU unfolded in the Mexico supporters section, only for the letter C to be foiled by angry Uruguay fans whose disdain was heighten when their national anthem was mistaken for the national anthem of Chile. Eventually that TIFU made it further to the east of the stadium to more welcoming Mexico fans awaited.
Juan Carlos Osorio unleashed a 3-3-3-1 formation that struck a great balance in defense with an offensive connotation. Mexico went all out during the first half, and they held on possession and scored in the 3rd minute. It seemed like it was gonna be an ugly night for Uruguay, since they could only muster a response from Cavani late in the first half. Uruguay just could not get passed by Juan Carlos Osorio’s great tactical plan and the chances where sparse. To make matters worse for Uruguay, Matias Vecino gets a red card towards the end of the first half, and leaves his team with 10 men.
Like night and day, the second was a different story. Uruguay took the initiative and held the ball in Mexico’s side of the field. Mexico’s vice captain, makes the mistake of getting a second yellow card, and gets sent off right at the beginning of the second half, making this game a 10 vs 10 match up. All of this created the perfect storm that gave the allusion that Uruguay could come back and actually take the 3 points. The teams fought for the first 30 minutes of the second half, the game got scrappy on both sides. At the 85th minute, Mexico makes a comeback and our captain, Rafa Marquez scores on the far side of Muslera’s goal. The stadium erupted in immeasurable jubilation, and a collective sight of relief, that Mexico still had more left in the tank. Hector Herrera sealed the deal right at stoppage time when he scored of a center. What a thrilling match that was witnessed in Glendale Arizona. In the end, Mexico had 59% possession, 3 shots on goal, and 81% passing accuracy. The celebrations continues even until now
Viva Mexicooooooo