HEARTBREAKING END FOR MEXICAN TEAM
Despite closing with win, El Tri suffers first group-stage elimination since 1978
For a long time after the final whistle, Luis Chavez crouched on the field in anguish.
He had just scored in Mexico’s furious attempt to stay alive at the World Cup, but the 2-1 victory Wednesday in Lusail over Saudi Arabia wasn’t enough. Because of Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Poland in a simultaneous match, Mexico failed to advance out of its group for the first time since 1978.
“We had a chance to qualify,” Chavez said glumly. “We didn’t achieve it.”
Mexico had reached the knockout round at the last seven World Cups, second only to Brazil, which has gone through to the round of 16 since 1986.
El Tri went into the match at Lusail Stadium need ing both a victory and help from Poland playing across town against Argentina to advance in Group C. Argentina’s victory meant goal difference came into play — and Mexico didn’t have enough of them.
Henry Martin scored in the 48th minute to give El Tri hope, and the team’s chances got even better with Chavez’s goal on a free kick four minutes later.
Mexico tried desperately in the final 20 minutes to get another goal — including an effort by Uriel Antuna in the 87th minute that was ruled offside — but came up short.
“We needed one more goal. I didn’t know exactly what happened at the end,” said veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who was playing in his fifth World Cup. “For us, the object was to score three or four goals. It’s a shame.”
Salem Aldawsari scored in second-half stoppage time for Saudi Arabia, which was eliminated along with Mexico despite beating Argentina in its opening match.
Martin’s goal ended Mexico’s 431-minute scoring drought at the World Cup, dating to their second group match at the 2018 tournament in Russia. It was the team’s longest ever stretch without a goal at the tournament.
Mexico opened the tournament in Qatar with a 0-0 draw against Poland and but fell 2-0 to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Mexico hadn’t been eliminated from the group stage since the World Cup in Argentina 44 years ago. El Tri didn’t qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and was banned from the 1990 event in Italy for using overage players at an under-20 tournament.
“I must say that I assume all the responsibility for this massive failure,” Mexico coach Garardo “Tata” Martino said.
Mexico advanced to the round of 16 in its last seven appearances — but no further. El Tri came to Qatar looking to play in an elusive “quinto partido” — a fifth game — for the first time since Mexico hosted the tournament in 1986.
Saudi Arabia had one of the tournament’s biggest ever upsets ever when it beat Argentina 2-1. But the Green Falcons couldn’t pull
off another surprise in its second match, a 2-0 loss to Poland.
The Saudis reached the round of 16 back in 1994, the team’s World Cup debut, but haven’t made it past the group stage since.
After the match, Martino said his contract with the Mexico had ended with the final whistle.
Argentina beats Poland, both advance
Rest easy, soccer fans. Lionel Messi will grace the World Cup stage at least one more time.
The Argentina great had a penalty saved but his team still beat Poland 2-0 in Doha after second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez and advanced to the last 16.
After opening the World Cup with a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in one of biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, Argentina wound up finishing in first place in Group C and will next play Australia — a surprise qualifier for the knockout stage.
Messi rolls into Saturday’s game suddenly in a strong position in likely his final World Cup.
“Now another World Cup begins.” Messi said, “and hopefully we can continue to do what we did today.”
As for Poland, it was ultimately a happy night, too, because the team went through as the group’s second-place team — on goal difference ahead of Mexico — and will next play defending champion France.
U.S. men, women get more money
The U.S. women’s team will make at least three times more from the men’s World Cup than they received for winning the 2019 women’s tournament, thanks to a new deal to split World Cup earnings.
A 1-0 win by the men over Iran on Tuesday night increased their World Cup prize money to approximately $380,000 for each player on the squad.
The same applies to players on the U.S. roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup because of the new collective bargaining agreements between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the men’s and women’s player unions.
Under those deals, 90% of the World Cup prize money paid by world soccer body FIFA to the USSF will be pooled and shared equally between the players on this year’s men’s World Cup roster and next year’s Women’s World Cup roster.
Pulisic day-to-day with bruise
U.S. forward Christian Pulisic is listed as day to day after sustaining a pelvic injury during his team’s 1-0 World Cup win against Iran that sent the Americans to the round of 16 of the tournament on Tuesday. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Pulisic was diagnosed with a pelvic bruise and returned to the team hotel.