Mexico vs. Bosnia: Score, Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

Based on international reputation alone, you wouldn't think that Mexico and Bosnia-Herzegovina would play so evenly over the course of 90 minutes. The game was well-played considering the conditions, as a rain-soaked Soldier Field pitch made the match quite rough for both sides.

Mexico got on the board first in the seventh minute, when Aldo de Nigris took a through ball from Carlos Salcido, dummied a defender away from the ball and then took a shot, which Asmir Begovic deflected. Giovani dos Santos took out the trash and booted it in from a yard out to give Mexico a 1-0 lead.

Bosnia struck back when Haris Mendunjanin fooled the Mexican defense, allowing Edin Dzeko to sneak behind the back line. Dzeko took a pass from Zvjezdan Misimovic, beat Guillermo Ochoa and slipped the ball into the open net.

The referee had to stop the match at the 31-minute mark after a blue smoke bomb was thrown onto the field. After that incident, the Mexicans began to push the pace, relentlessly pressuring the Bosnians for the next few minutes before slowing it down. The first half ended after 45 minutes of relative parity.

That same parity was seen for the first 20 minutes of the second half until Javier Hernandez entered the match. He came in, shook the rust off and was energized, as he lit up the pitch for a while before the experiment of having him and de Nigris in the box together didn't end successfully.

The game remained tied at one until "Chicharito" capitalized on two embarrassing errors by the Bosnian defense. The back line was unable to convert two easy clears, resulting in Hernandez hammering the ball past Begovic in the second minute of stoppage time to give Mexico a 2-1 victory.

Tweets of the Night

This fan wasn't happy with the way the match ended:

"

Dumbest goal that I've ever seen in the Mexico vs. Bosnia game to give Mexico the W.

— Brian Leppert (@themuffdaddy) June 1, 2012"

This fan knows that Chicharito made the Bosnians pay for their transgressions:

"

What a rookie defensive mistake. Mexico 2 Bosnia 1. That's game. Chicharito makes em pay for the mistake.

— Esteban L. Hernandez (@EstebanHRZ) June 1, 2012"

Confidence is key moving forward:

"

Mexico beat Bosnia! Brazil is next.

— Erick Bravo (@BravoEA) June 1, 2012"

And what a great birthday present it was:

"

On his birthday today, Chicharito scores a last minute winner for Mexico in a friendly match v Bosnia.

— Man Utd Malaysia (@MUFC_Malaysia) June 1, 2012"

Must See Highlight

Grades for Key Bosnia Players

Edin Dzeko: B+

The Manchester City midfielder was able to bounce back from a poor showing against Ireland to score the lone goal for Bosnia in this heartbreaking loss. He did well to find the back of the net on a nice move to beat Ochoa and give himself plenty of goal to shoot on.

He was isolated up front for most of the match, and his teammates helped him score the goal. While he certainly can't take all the credit for getting his team on the board, finishing is the hardest part of the game, and Dzeko was able to do so.

Stojan Vranjes: F

Vranjes wins the award for goat of the match. Not goal, but goat. The midfielder was responsible for the two heinous blunders that allowed Chicharito to score two minutes into stoppage time.

Not only was he unable to boot the ball out of bounds, but he kicked it straight up in the air and then whiffed on a bicycle kick which went right to Chicharito for the game-winner.

Begovic had absolutely no shot to stop it.

Grades for Key Mexico Players

Aldo de Nigris: B+

De Nigris didn't earn an "A" rating in this one because he only played about 70 minutes and was not on the pitch when Mexico scored the game-winner, but it was he who made the play that set up the first goal for his team.

He made a nice move to throw the defender off with a dummy, and although his shot was stopped, Giovani do Santos was able to capitalize on the opportunity, as he was in position to hammer it home.

Javier Hernandez: B+

Chicharito was a game-changer in this one from the moment de Nigris left the pitch. He was denied twice in the 79th minute after two impressive strikes, drew a foul in the 88th to keep the ball within range of the Bosnian net and then found himself in the right position to notch the second and final goal of the match for Mexico.

While he didn't do anything fantastic on the final tally, he showed nerves of steel in his ability to casually slip the ball past Begovic, even with a defender breathing down his neck.

Deciding Factor: The Last-Minute Failure of the Bosnian Defense

Bosnia performed exceptionally well for the entire match, playing up to their competition for the first 90 minutes. Unfortunately, a football match includes stoppage time, and the incompetence of the Bosnian defense caused the team to leave Soldier Field with a loss.

If they were able to play one more minute of mistake-free football, they would have come away with a draw, as well as some semblance of confidence leading into their next match.

Man of the Match: Javier Hernandez

The award cannot go to anybody else but Chicharito, who provided his team with a shot in the arm upon entering the game. He looked a bit rusty coming in, but the rest he got from the time off did him well.

You could see that the Bosnian dam was about to burst when he relentlessly put pressure on the back line and the goalie. If not for his constant efforts, the Bosnian defenders may have been more comfortable over those last few minutes of the match and could have been able to clear the ball.

What's Next

Bosnia has to wait almost three more months before their next international friendly against Wales, and this loss will certainly sit with the club until then. They played extremely impressive football for all but a few moments of the match and suffered the consequences as a result of their defensive failures.

Mexico will continue their tour of the United States with a matchup against Brazil on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This one should be interesting, as Brazil is coming off a 4-1 trouncing of the Americans, and Mexico has been on a roll as of their last few matches.