Mexico wins game; brawl is a tie
Mexico asserted its superiority in the second half against New Zealand to avoid embarrassment in the Confederations Cup on Wednesday, coming from behind for a 2-1 win in a fiery Group A encounter that ended in a brawl.
The on-pitch fracas in Sochi, Russia, included punches thrown and involved so many players that referee Bakary Gassama of Gambia had to assess the fight on a replay.
Three players were eventually shown yellow cards; surprisingly, no one was red-carded.
“It was intense, it was competitive,” New Zealand coach Anthony Hudson said after the game, which was settled by Oribe Peralta’s 72nd-minute strike for Mexico.
Tensions first erupted in the first half when Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio swore at the New Zealand coaching staff. The spark was Chris Wood striking at goal while Mexico defender Carlos Salcedo was down injured after his left shoulder was hurt in an off-the-ball tangle with the striker.
“I apologize, my words were wrong,” Osorio said through an interpreter. “Our players and myself were shouting to stop the game, but there was no reaction on their side. The game was really rough and violent. That’s unacceptable and why I lost my temper.”
Portugal 1, Russia 0: Ina relatively benign Group A match, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal with a header in the eighth minute in Moscow. However, the win was bittersweet as Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro was hospitalized with a suspected leg fracture.
MLS: Scott Sutter headed in a free kick by Kaka in the fourth minute of stoppage time — the final play of the match — to give Orlando City a 1-1 draw with the host Seattle Sounders . ... Jack McBean scored two goals to double his career total and the Los Angeles Galaxy beat the host Colorado Rapids 3-1. The Galaxy ran their unbeaten streak to eight games . ... Abu Danladi broke a tie in the 64th minute and expansion Minnesota beat Portland 3-2 to snap two-game losing and scoreless streaks . ... Patrick Nyarko scored his first goal of the season in the 60th minute and D.C. United rallied to beat expansion Atlanta 2-1.