Mexico vs. Paraguay: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
One of the late fixtures during the international break saw Mexico beat Paraguay by a 1-0 scoreline in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday night, the second win of the past week for manager Miguel Herrera's side.
Eduardo Herrera scored the only goal of the match in the third minute, stretching out to poke home a free-kick from the left flank. Set pieces were largely the best route to goal for Paraguay, too, but aggressive play and a lack of killer passes broke up the majority of the game.
Here are all our biggest winners and losers from the 90 minutes.
Winner: Eduardo Herrera
1 of 5
Eduardo Herrera, 26, only made his debut late on against Ecuador earlier in the international break, so it was just about his first touch at this level that saw him poke the ball home on a volley to score in his first start for his nation.
The Mexico forward is thought to have a great chance of being involved in one of the two summer tournaments for Mexico—the Copa America and the Gold Cup—and he did that chance no harm here.
Showing physicality, good movement and, of course, that match-winning touch, Herrera battled away against vigorous, determined defenders to help his team construct some exciting moves in the match—the first half, in particular.
Losers: Bobadilla and Barrios
2 of 5
At the opposite end of the field, Paraguay's strike force of Raul Bobadilla and Lucas Barrios was isolated from the midfield line, rarely involved in the penalty box in open play and barely had a sniff of goal.
The team operates in clear linear divisions and, with no support and little supply line, they expected the two attackers to both hold up the ball and create chances for themselves—something they had little joy in doing against the three-man Mexican defence.
With just half a dozen goals between Bobadilla and Barrios at this level, it's not hard to see why Paraguay struggled in World Cup qualification last time out and are not expected to impact on this Copa America, either.
Winner: Diego Reyes
3 of 5
While much of the Mexico starting XI showed unfamiliar faces in key positions, central defender Diego Reyes remained in place and had a fantastic 90 minutes overall.
Defensively, he looked assured and a cut above most others around him. He was composed in his reading of the game and distribution from the back line. Reyes also appeared comfortable moving further up the field in possession—as he showed with one burst late in the match, seconds after making a great interception on the edge of his own box.
The Porto youngster still has to make a big impact at club level, but he certainly has the capacity to go far and will be a key performer this summer for his nation.
Loser: Paraguay's Aggression
4 of 5
Paraguay's main method of defending—after the opening 10 minutes, in which they opted not to defend at all—was to challenge as aggressively as possible outside the penalty area and concede all manner of free-kicks.
In a way, it was effective; the bookings were spread around the team—five in the first hour alone—and a physically imposing back three more often than not headed clear high balls into the box. However, that process continued into midfield, where brawn, rather than first touch, was the overriding quality.
Paraguay made little attempt to construct play, they fashioned no chances from open play, and it always looked as though "set piece or nothing" would be their route back into the match. It ended up, of course, as nothing.
Winners: Antony Silva and Meliton Hernandez
5 of 5
Both goalkeepers on show for most of the match can take heart from their respective displays.
Antony Silva replaced veteran Justo Villar after half an hour for Paraguay and put in a largely confident performance, making a couple of camera saves early on and then some more important, but less aesthetically pleasing, interventions in the second half. Silva was quick to get off his line and make blocks down low when the likes of Raul Jimenez and Chicharito Hernandez looked to pounce.
At the other end, Meliton Hernandez made his Mexico debut at the age of 32 and produced a few big moments to keep a clean sheet, notably a save from Paulo da Silva at his near post and a brave collection of a set piece low in his six-yard box near the end of the match.
With six goalkeepers likely to be involved over the two summer tournaments, Hernandez could well be in for a busy June or July with the Mexico national team.
