1 hour ago
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Peep! Second half under way
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No changes for the Socceroos but Mexico have made four, including the introduction of 40-year-old Guillermo Ochoa in goal.
VIDEO: Mexico’s goal
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Halftime: Mexico 1-0 Australia
By Vince Rugari
Oh, no, Mo. Had Toure put that chance away and slid the ball into the open net, the Socceroos would have been pretty happy overall with that first 45 minutes - albeit with the caveat that they could, and should, be playing far more adventurously than they have here. Instead he missed the unmissable and now the frustration levels are creeping up, which you could see based on Tony Popovic’s reaction. This has been a mostly solid defensive performance, and mostly bad attacking performance, insofar as they’ve struggled to attack, really, at all. And that needs to change, otherwise this World Cup isn’t going to be much fun. Get Nestory Irankunda on. Time for Australia to have a crack, I say.
Toure misses an open goal
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And the look on his face says it all. The look on Popovic’s face says a lot, too – though we only see it for a second because he bends over and slaps his palms on the ground in frustration. What a miss. That is quite something. The chance came from a long ball run onto by Italiano with Chavez in chase. Chavez gets his head to it first but heads it straight back to the onrushing Toure. The keeper rushes off his line and all Toure has to do is drive the ball on target from 25 metres or so. The striker has not stopped running all half and on another day he’d have buried that no problem.
There are three minutes of first-half stoppage-time
Mexico 1-0 Australia after 45+1 minutes
Mexico push for a second before halftime
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They hit Australia on the break after the Socceroos cede possession. Chavez makes the cross but Australia get back to close down the gaps they’d left in the nick of time. The problem with this first half is that, if you are going to set up to invite pressure, defend and play in transition, that is fine if it works. If it does not – and all it takes is one lapse in judgment or concentration, as we have seen – you need to be technically on par with your opposition in attack. Mexico have the upper hand in this department.
What will Popovic have to say during the break? Will he make halftime changes? What else does he need to see from this hit-out?
Mexico 1-0 Australia after 40 minutes
Here’s what Rugari thinks
By Vince Rugari
This has gone about as expected: Mexico with lots of the ball, and the Socceroos with not much of it. A whopping 15 per cent, to be precise, up until the first drinks break. It was a good header that put El Tri ahead but Australia haven’t shown very much in attack, and this is the danger when you sit so many players behind the ball and invite opposition pressure - if you cop a goal, how do you respond? Can you get off the back foot in that situation? We’ll see, I guess.
Drinks time
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Never thought I’d said this but the break has come at a good time for Australia. Let’s call it a tactical break in this instance, because the Socceroos are suddenly chasing the game. The defence has been relatively solid bar those couple of lapses, and that will have Popovic very unhappy indeed. They have also offered far less going forward than Mexico, and will now be forced into pushing for possession if they are to take something from this exercise.
Mexico 1-0 Australia after 35 minutes
Goal! Vasquez puts Mexico in front
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Ryan can’t save the Socceroos this time. It’s a set-piece – Mexico’s fifth corner. Vega takes it and ends up with an assist as Vasquez heads home from the spot. Ryan scrambles but cannot stop it tucking inside off the post.
Mexico 1-0 Australia after 27 minutes
Ryan rustles up a reflex save
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And it’s the only thing stopping Australia from conceding. Mexico whip in a cross that is not out of the ordinary, but the defence has lost concentration at a critical moment, and Vega takes a shot that forces Ryan into a leap and tip over the crossbar, before Leckie clears the subsquent corner.
Mexico 0-0 Australia after 25 minutes
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