Mexico vs Senegal Olympic Soccer 2012: Grades, Twitter Reaction & Analysis

Mexico defeated Senegal 4-2 in overtime of the men's Olympic football quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.

Mexico was the favorite heading in and took control early from a 10th minute goal off of a beautiful set piece by Giovani Dos Santos. His pass found Jorge Enriquez perfectly and he finished with a floating header that fit precisely to the far corner of the Senegal goal.

Down 2-0 late in the second half, the Senegal team woke up and began to ramp up the tempo, scoring twice and forcing extra time. 

Unfortunately for Senegal, Mexico was able to withstand the onslaught and shore up its defense in the extra time. 

Mexico capitalized on two untimely errors by Senegal to build a 4-2 overtime lead and never looked back.

Mexico's performance wasn’t spectacular but it was good enough to advance to the semifinals.

It was over when

Giovani Dos Santos stole the ball on a terrible error by Senegal at the top of the penalty box and easily punched in the go-ahead goal for the lead.

Tweets of the Day

Wembley Stadium was packed to the brim for the quarterfinal football match:

"

Official attendance - 81,885 at Wembley for Mexico v Senegal.Brilliant crowd.Great atmosphere

— Alexander Graham (@alexwtw) August 4, 2012"

Jeff Kassouf describes the early first half goal by Enriquez:

"

10' GOAL Mexico - Perfect ball on the free kick from dos Santos and Jorge Enriquez heads it in beautifully. Mexico 1-0 Senegal.

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) August 4, 2012"

At this point in the match, Mexico's dominant defensive performance in the Games was noticed:

"

Mexico have now gone 300 minutes without conceding a goal at the Olympics. Mexico 1-0 Senegal.

— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) August 4, 2012"

Konate adds a fifth Olympic leading goal to his tally:

"

4 - Moussa Konate has now scored in all four of Senegal's matches in the men's Olympic football tournament (five goals in total). Hotshot.

— Opta Sports (@OptaJoe) August 4, 2012"

Senegal comes from behind by 2 goals to tie up Mexico in the 77th minute!:

"

GOAL SENEGAL! It's 2-2 after a header off a corner kick. 77th minute. 2-2 and Mexico is shaken. Should be a thrilling finish at Wembley.

— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) August 4, 2012"

One Tweet summed things up perfectly after Mexico took a 4-2 lead:

"

Self destruction - Senegal waste all their hard work - farcical errors, Mexico couldn't fail to score, 4-2

— Trevor Watkins (@PMsportlaw) August 4, 2012"

Grades for Key Mexico Players

Jose Corona: B+

Corona made countless key saves against an aggressive Senegal attack. While he failed to pitch another shutout and allowed two goals, he still played well. Both of those goals were excellent sets by Senegal and there wasn’t much he could do to stop them. He’s been a key factor in Mexico’s advancement into the semifinals.

Giovani Dos Santos: A+

Dos Santos continued his excellent Olympic play with a perfect pass off a set piece to set up Enriquez’s nod in for the goal. His play speaks for itself. His offensive prowess and solid passing helped facilitate the Mexican attack. He sealed the deal for Mexico to the semifinals with his steal in Senegal's box and resulting goal.

Grades for Key Senegal Players

Moussa Konate: A

The most pleasant surprise of the tournament has been the explosive abilities of Konate, who has carried Senegal to the quarterfinals practically on his own. His 68th minute goal was the first scored against Mexico in these Olympics and a tournament leading fifth individual goal of the Games. Had his overtime shot on Corona gone in, a different narrative would have been written of this one.


Sadio Mane: B-

Mane deserves an A+ for heart and determination. He played better as the game wore on and didn't fall apart after allowing two goals. His save at the beginning of overtime, in which he almost fell to a splitz, was a game-saver a the time for Senegal. A bad turnover by Senegal inside his box that lead to the game-winning goal was hardly Mane's fault. The final goal scored on the Senegalese goalie was inexcusable and undercuts an otherwise solid performance.

Deciding Factor

The Defense

Mexico continued its stifling defense as it rode it to the Olympic soccer semifinals. If not for the impressive unit, the high tempo and imposing Senegalese offensive attack would have overrun the Mexicans in regulation and the overtime mishaps would never have happened.

They didn't post another shutout and allowed their first two goals of the Olympics, but they did what was needed to advance.

Man of the Match

Giovani Dos Santos

Dos Santos assisted on a goal and scored the third and go-ahead overtime goal for the Mexican team. Without his play, Mexico may not have had enough firepower to keep up with the energetic Senegalese team.

What’s Next?

Mexico is moving on to the semifinals while Senegal disappointingly fails to reach a medal round game. Next up for Mexico will be Japan on Tuesday, August 7.