Mexico suffered a harsh reality check in Denver, Colorado in the build-up for Copa América 2024 at the hands of Uruguay.
Lozano gave opportunities to a number of squad players to prove themselves ahead of the competition. The likes of Raúl Rangel, Víctor Guzmán, Fernando Beltrán, Cesar Huerta and Guillermo Martínez were all given the chance to impress.
Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay completely dominated the 90 minutes. Whilst they remain one of the favourites to win the competition, Lozano will be disappointed in the manner in which his side fell to them. It might have been an experimental side for El Tri, but a game against one of the stronger sides in the competition would have been a good chance to play your stronger players to gain an insight for potential areas of improvement ahead of the tournament.
Mexico's Lineup vs Uruguay
Name | Position + (FotMob Rating) |
|---|---|
Raúl Rangel | Goalkeeper (4.3) |
Brian García | Right Back (5.1) |
Victor Guzmán | Centre Back (4.7) |
Jesús Orozco | Centre Back (5.6) |
Gerardo Arteaga | Left Back (5.0) |
Fernando Beltrán | Centre Midfield (4.6) |
Edson Álvarez | Centre Midfield (5.8) |
Orbelín Pineda | Centre Midfield (7.0) |
Roberto Alvarado | Right Wing (6.0) |
Guillermo Martínez | Striker (5.6) |
Cesar Huerta | Left Wing (6.0) |
Darwin Núñez starred by scoring a hat trick with Manchester United winger Facundo Pellestri also adding his name to the scoresheet.
The scoring got underway in the seventh minute when Núñez poked home into an empty net after Rangel and the Mexican defenders failed to clear their lines from a Nahitan Nández cross.
Pellestri doubled the scoring twenty minutes later after finding space in the Mexico box to get on the end of Brian Rodríguez's cross. With the scoreline at 2-0, it was clear that the left flank had become an issue for Mexico, conceding twice from crosses down that side.
Moments before the halftime whistle La Celeste dealt another blow to Mexico as Núñez doubled his tally for the evening. Picking up the ball on the halfway line, the Liverpool forward drove at the Mexican defence before sliding Maximiliano Araujo in on goal. Opting to reward Núñez for starting the play, Araujo passed the ball across goal for Nunez to easily tap home his second goal of the night.
Starting the second 45 minutes in the same way they started the first, La Celeste added a fourth to their tally. Pellestri found himself in on goal after receiving a through ball from Araujo. Beating the on-rushing Rangel to the ball, the winger goes around the Chivas shot-stopper to once again play the ball into the path of Núñez to grab his hat trick.
Main Thoughts
It is easy to say that this was an experimental game from Lozano. Playing a much changed and inexperienced side as the squad prepares for a final friendly against Brazil on Saturday. However, the performance highlighted areas to be concerned. Sloppy defending was evident. Midfielders failing to follow their men as the defence gave too much space in key areas for Uruguay to capitalise.
Adding insult to injury are the comments made by Bielsa following the result. In the post-match conference, the Uruguay manager suggested that Mexico 'did not take the game seriously'. The comment suggests that Lozano is much more focused on the weekend clash with Brazil, so there is hope that we may see a better performance from El Tri on Saturday.
Whilst it was a dark night for Mexican football, a lot needs to be taken away from this result. It is expected that a lot of tonight's starting lineup will not start during the tournament, lessons need to be taken even by those who were absent.