Mexico looked weak in the run-up to the Copa América. Now, with the injury of Edson Álvarez, the team was fractured. It seemed like everything was going to collapse for the Mexicans after only 30 minutes of play. Despite that, in the midst of the injuries he found a little light by winning by the minimum against Jamaica (1-0). Triumph is an injection of pure adrenaline to overcome your own limits and adverse forecasts. A shot by Gerardo Arteaga freed his teammates from the pressure to take the first three points in the tournament.
1
Julio González, Jorge Sánchez, César Montes, Gerardo Arteaga, Johan Vásquez, Edson Álvarez, Orbelín Pineda, Luis Chávez, Uriel Antuna, Julián Quiñones, Santiago Giménez, Luis Romo (Edson Álvarez, min. 29), Guillermo Martínez (Santiago Giménez, min. 67), Carlos Rodríguez (Orbelín Pineda, min. 67), Érick Sánchez (Luis Chávez, min. 77) and Roberto Alvarado (Uriel Antuna, min. 77)
0
Jahmali Waite, Ethan Pinnock, Di’Shon Bernard, Joel Latibeaudiere, Kasey Palmer, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Greg Leigh, Dexter Lembikisa, Shamar Nicholson, Michail Antonio, Demarai Gray, Damion Lowe (Demarai Gray, min. 67), Michael Hector (Di’Shon Bernard, min. 67), Kaheim Dixon (Bobby De Cordova-Reid, min. 79) and Renaldo Cephas (Michail Antonio, min. 79)
Goals
1-0 min. 68: Gerardo Daniel Arteaga Zamora
Jaime Lozano, the Mexican coach, is called upon to solve a long list of errors by managers that have limited the emergence of new great talents such as Rafa Márquez, Hugo Sánchez or even Chicharito Hernández. Lozano, with a scarce raw material of footballers, did the patchwork for him. His first lab test was against Jamaica. He threw his best 11 football players onto the field in Houston, Texas. He entrusted the goal to Julio González, a veteran goalkeeper who, at just 33 years old, is playing his first game in an official tournament with Mexico. In the midfield he handed over all the controls of the game to Edson Álvarez, a brain on the field, an all-rounder. In the offensive there was the trident between Uriel Antuna, Santiago Giménez and Julián Quiñones.
Mexico looked solid, secure, with pampered self-esteem. They tried to open the scoring very early in the game with shots from Luis Chávez. And the emotional fracture arrived for the Mexicans. Edson Álvarez tried to overcome a dribble that he suffered, when he wanted his legs to react quickly it broke. A muscle injury sent him to the locker room after 30 minutes. Through tears, the Mexican captain left. There were nerves among those selected. The substitute, Luis Romo, came in to put out the fire. He had a chance to score, but his foot sent it to the eighth row of the NRG Stadium.
Little by little, the Mexican team began to enter the spiral of anxiety. Just in the 52nd minute, at the beginning of the second half, Michail Antonio made a fool of the Mexican defensive backline who could not clear a series of crosses. The VAR saved the full-back Jorge Sánchez from a big error in his rival’s marking. Mexico, with another open sore, decided to go all out. He tried with Quiñones, Giménez. Nothing. The goal came after insistence. Left back Gerardo Arteaga shot from outside the area to beat goalkeeper Waite. Joy for the Mexican bench, so questioned in recent months.
Jamaica tried to surprise goalkeeper González with a couple of shots. There was no Jamaican joy, it was just the fire bath to tan the goalkeeper who will have the mission of silencing criticism and goals. Lozano took the time for others relegated by the system, like Guillermo Martínez, to have minutes. The scorer Santi Giménez could not complete the match, despite his insistence on searching for the goal.
Mexico will have to face Venezuela next Wednesday, a team that won this Saturday after overcoming Ecuador. An unexpected result. The group will be closed if Mexico has a setback against Vinotinto. Lozano and his disciples can breathe until then.
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