Mexico dominates Canada at BC Place
Boisterous crowd takes in FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
The Canadian men’s soccer team — and tens of thousands of hopeful and invested red-andwhite-clad fans in BC Place — got a lesson in true CONCACAF class on Friday.
Mexico, ranked No. 22 in the world — 65 spots ahead of Canada — came to Vancouver for a World Cup qualifier to face a Canadian squad that was growing in confidence and full of belief that it could punch above its ranking.
But this wasn’t Belize or Dominica, tiny Caribbean nations Canada had dismissed with relative ease earlier in qualifying. And it wasn’t Honduras, whom Canada had defeated 1- 0 in November at BC Place to open the four-country group.
This was the magnificent El Tri, fully deserving 3-0 winners. Mexico is an exceptionally skilled side that is blessed with brilliant talents, several of whom play for top clubs in Europe, and blinding pace. And it’s a club secure in the knowledge that they are the giants of CONCACAF for good reason.
Four years after the Horror in Honduras — an 8-1 pasting in the last World Cup qualifying period — Canada has no doubt come a long way under Benito Floro’s two-year stewardship. But Friday showed the Canadians are still well behind Mexico in terms of soccer skill and technique.
Canada did have some chances, some gilt-edged ones even. But the Mexicans scored a decisive victory before a raucous — and thoroughly entertained — crowd of 54,798 that featured a healthy contingent of passionate Mexican supporters, estimated at perhaps 15,000.
The visitors could easily have had five or six goals if not for the heroics of Milan Borjan in the Canadian goal, who also had help from his three best friends — Left and Right Post and Joey Cross Bar.
“Too many chances we gave up, too many mistakes,” said Canadian centre Adam Straith, a Victoria native. “They’re lethal when they get those chances.
“That’s a very good Mexico team. We knew they were going to press us high and that’s where they found success in the first especially. They play off mistakes and we were caught a couple of times. Off the counter-attack, they’re very dangerous.”
Mexico dominated in midfield and on the wing where dazzling wide players Hirving Lozano and Jesus Manuel Corona feasted on out-classed Canadian fullbacks Doneil Henry, a converted centre back, and Marcel de Jong.
The good news of the night for Canada and its hope of qualifying for the Hexagonal, the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, was that El Salvador and Honduras battled to a 2-2 draw in El Salvador, each earning a single point.
“That’s fantastic, obviously a good result for us,” said Straith. “We’d like to see another one like that (in the return match in Honduras).”
The group’s top two sides advance and the Mexicans with three consecutive wins and nine points have punched their ticket. The Canadians, who must play in Mexico City on Tuesday, have four points off a 1-1-1 record. El Salvador, which still has to play in Canada, has two points and Honduras one.
After a relatively even first 10 minutes Friday, the game exploded after that into end to end play that was more breathtaking than anything seen in a Whitecaps game at BC Place.
The Mexicans stormed the Canadian goal and only the brilliance of Borjan, the 28-yearold Serbian- Canadian who plays in Bulgaria, kept it scoreless through 30 minutes. Borjan made stunning, full-stretch saves off Hector Herrera and Andres Guardado.
El Tri finally got on board in the 31st minute when a great cross into the box by fullback Miguel Layun, who was given far too much space, was headed home by Javier Hernandez, the Bayer Leverkusen man.
Hernandez and Herrera then hit opposite goalposts seconds apart in the 35th minute before Lozano made it 2-0 in the 39th minute after he had intercepted a pass at midfield.
Canada was outplayed in the half, but did have three good scoring opportunities. However, Junior Hoilett, from 14 yards out, Cyle Larin, from close range after a rampaging 30-yard run, and Hoilett, again, from the top of the box, all shot well over the cross bar.
Canada’s best second- half chance came off the foot of substitute Scott Arfield. The Scottish-born Arfield, making his Canada debut, shot from just inside the box was stopped by a leaping Alfredo Talavera in the Mexican net.
“We played a good game, had a couple of good chances,” said Borjan. “But it’s like always with Canada, a problem, we cannot finish the last touch, score a goal.”
Corona scored the third Mexican goal in the 72nd minute, dancing around a sliding Henry in the box and roofing a shot that Borjan had no chance on.