Mexico vs. Honduras: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
Javier Hernandez scored his 37th goal for Mexico, and Oswaldo Alanis headed in his first as El Tri beat Honduras 2-0 on Thursday in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
It was against the run of play that the hosts took the lead, as Los Catrachos settled quickly at Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna and produced the first meaningful chance when Oscar Boniek Garcia drew a good save out of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
But after Hernandez opened the scoring shortly thereafter Mexico were quite comfortable, and while they spent much of the second half without the ball they managed to prevent their guests from bringing it into shooting space.
Following are some of the winners and losers from the encounter.
Winner: Javier Hernandez, Who Needed a Big Performance for His Country
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Used mainly as a substitute at the 2014 World Cup, Javier Hernandez returned to club side Manchester United in the summer only to be sent on loan to Real Madrid.
He needed a big performance on Thursday—and a goal in particular—and he delivered it.
In the 22nd minute the 26-year-old did well to control Oribe Peralta’s pass before drilling the ball inside the far post with his right foot.
Loser: Jorge Claros, Who Was Outjumped by Alanis for Mexico’s 2nd
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Jorge Claros generally struggled on Thursday in what was his 53rd match for Honduras.
In the 37th minute and with Mexico already a goal to their name, he was embarrassingly outjumped by El Tri defender Oswaldo Alanis, whose header provided the hosts a measure of insurance heading into the break.
Claros, who plays his club football with Sporting Kansas City, then struggled throughout the second half and gifted Mexico a handful of opportunities with a series of careless giveaways.
Winner: Hector Herrera, Who Settled His Side Down
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Honduras made the better start to Thursday’s match, and the game’s first meaningful chance was delivered by Oscar Boniek Garcia, whose early shot drew an impressive save out of Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
The hosts looked unsettled throughout the opening exchanges, and they required a mature, calming influence to help them find their feet.
As it turned out, Hector Herrera provided exactly what they needed.
The Porto midfielder distributed the ball calmly and accurately, involving his team-mates in various build-up plays, and in the 22nd minute contributed to the sequence that would eventually see Javier Hernandez open the scoring.
Winner: Honduras Fans, Who Didn’t Have Far to Go (Relatively)
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It’s more than 800 kilometres from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to Tuxtla Gutierrez in the south of Mexico, where Thursday’s match took place.
But that’s closer than the Chiapas city is to Mexico City, and many Honduras supporters turned up at the stadium for kick-off.
Unfortunately, their loyalty went unrewarded as Los Catrachos put in a mostly meek display and ended up on the losing end of a 2-0 decision.
Loser: Roger Rojas, Romell Quioto and the Honduras Attack in General
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Honduras had little difficulty bringing the ball downfield on Thursday, and Oscar Boniek Garcia, Emilio Izaguirre and Wilmer Crisanto were particularly useful in that regard.
But once on the perimeter of the Mexico area, the guests were at a complete loss of both ideas and incisiveness.
Forwards Roger Rojas and Romell Quioto failed to place a single shot on target between them, although both were starved for service until their withdrawals in the second half.
Winner: Miguel Herrera, Who Learned That Peralta and Hernandez Can Play Together
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The short-term future of Mexico’s attack includes both Oribe Peralta and Javier Hernandez.
That much was made clear Thursday when the two combined to open the scoring against Honduras.
Mexico manager Miguel Herrera will have been curious to see how the pair operated in tandem, and the result will surely have left him encouraged.
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