Mexico vs. Panama: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

Super-sub Erick Torres got Mexico the win they deserved, slotting home his first international goal in the 89th minute after a headed assist from Oribe Peralta to hand El Tri a fine victory 1-0 over Panama on home soil.

Mexico, captained by striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, were the aggressors from the first minute of play and were unlucky to not win by a wider margin. Still, the overall performance is encouraging for manager Miguel Herrera's boys and it's a fine win to build on. Panama did very little in the game of note and seemed mostly content to play keep away with Mexico and hold them to a draw.    

Here are the final match grades for every player involved in the action.

Mexico			Panama
Position	Player	Grade	Position	Player	Grade
G	Alfredo Talavera	7	G	Oscar McFarlane	6.5
D	Hugo Alaya	6.5	D	Leonel Parris	6
D	Rodolfo Gilbert Pizarro	5.5	D	Harold Cummings	6.5
D	Miguel Layun	7	D	Roman Torres	7
D	Luis Venegas	6.5	D	Luis Henriquez	6.5
D	Miguel Herrera	6	M	Gabriel	5.5
M	Hector Herrera	5.5	M	Armando Cooper	5
M	Marco Fabian	6	M	Alberto Quintero	6.5
M	Javier Guemez	5	M	Anibal Godoy	6
F	Javier Hernandez	7.5	F	Blas Perez	5
F	Javier Orozco	6.5	F	Ricardo Enrique Buitrago	4
Substitute			Substitute
	Erick Torres	7		Alfredo Stephens	4
	Paul Aguilar	5		Miguel Camargo	4.5
	Antonio Rios	N/A		Robert Nurse	5
	Oribe Peralta	7.5
	Gonzalez Arturo	6
	Julio Cesar Dominguez	N/A

Chicharito had a fine opportunity to score in the sixth minute after receiving the ball on the run well into the box, but a Panama defender did well to block the shot with his leg and send it well wide.

ESPNFC's Tom Marshall considered Chicharito the best player for El Tri in the early going:

His strike partner, Javier Orozco, played hard but failed to have as much of an impact.

There was a strange moment in the 26th minute, when Panama goalkeeper Oscar McFarlane came well off his line to corral a wayward long ball, only to have Chicharito reach it first. Suddenly McFarlane found himself playing sweeper, but his defenders did well to race back and block the ensuing shot from Hernandez, preserving the nil-nil scoreline.

Marco Fabian played the enforcer role for Mexico in the midfield and tangled with several Panama players. He did earn a yellow card in the 35th minute for his efforts, but didn't come off until the 81st minute of the match.

The sweltering heat did neither team any favors and Panama looked completely content going into halftime with the game scoreless. The defense did its best to disrupt Mexico's attacking combinations and probably bailed out McFarlane on a couple of opportunities with some well-timed blocks.

Ben Margot/Associated Press

It's telling that Panama managed just three shots during the match and often left star striker Blas Perez stranded up front with little reinforcements to work with. Mexico put up 16 shots of their own, but just five of them ended up on frame on the day.

Panama midfielder Alberto Quintero put in a workmanlike performance and moved with pace and fury, drawing six fouls during the match.

Peralta's introduction into the game served as something of a turning point for Mexico. He combined well with his teammates in midfield and was the main engine for Mexico's attack in the latter stages of the game. Marshall noted the fans at La Corregidora began to chant his name after awhile, hoping that Peralta would provide the spark necessary for Mexico to break the deadlock:

Eventually, Peralta delivered. McFarlane failed to corral a long-range shot and popped the ball up into the air. Peralta came racing in and tipped the ball with his forehead in front of a waiting Torres, who calmly slotted the ball into the top of the net from six yards out. Major League Soccer tweeted his celebration:

Mexico should be happy with the outcome, but they probably could have done more in this game. They held the ball just 56 percnt of the time despite creating the majority of the attacking impetus. Still, it's an encouraging display from the likes of Torres, Peralta and Chicharito. Peralta is 30 and may not factor into the next World Cup cycle too much, but Torres is 21 and should get plenty of experience playing for Chivas USA in the MLS.

Panama showed little signs of breaking out of their role as a middling CONCACAF side. Quintero, Gabriel and Perez are fine players, but there is little surrounding them to suggest that this side will do much more than serve as obstructionists against the likes of Mexico and the United States. 

All match stats courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.