Host Russia exits after loss
KAZAN, RUSSIA » Host nation Russia fought valiantly but could not avoid early elimination at the Confederations Cup after a 2-1 loss to Mexico on Saturday, a result that secured the Mexicans a place in the semifinals of the World Cup warm-up tournament.
Needing a victory to advance from its difficult group, the hosts played well and took the lead with a goal by Alexander Samedov in the first half, but the experienced Mexicans equalized through Nestor Araujo before halftime and secured the victory early in the second with a goal by Hirving Lozano after a mistake by Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev.
The Russians had plenty of chances, but poor finishing kept them from earning a better result. Several players missed clear scoring opportunities throughout the match in front of 41,585 fans at Kazan Arena.
“We managed to show good football,” Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov said. “We are making steps in the right directions.”
Russia played a man down from the 68th minute as Yury Zhirkov was sent off with a second yellow card, the first player in the tournament to be shown a red card.
Mexico had a secondhalf goal by defender Hector Moreno disallowed for offside after video review.
“We faced a rival that needed to win and had nothing to lose, and we competed very well against them,” Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. “We are building a team that is showing that it can play against any opponent in any situation. It was an important victory for Mexican football.” PORTUGAL 4, NEW ZEALAND 0» European champion Portugal showed 95th-ranked New Zealand the respect of selecting Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars when rest was an option.
The strategy helped Ronaldo get his 75th international goal and Portugal an ultimately easy win at the Confederations Cup on Saturday.
It also cost Portugal the services of Pepe in the semifinals. The tough defender is suspended for being shown a yellow card for a crude challenge just before he could be substituted.