Mexico vs. Peru: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Friendly

Mexico and Peru met at Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru, for a friendly on Wednesday night. It was an offensive struggle for both sides, though the two sides traded goals in the second half en route to a 1-1 draw.     

Jefferson Farfan provided the game's first goal, putting Peru ahead 1-0 in the 62nd minute, but Mexico answered thanks to a Juan Valenzuela header from Luis Montes in the 76th minute to save his team from a shutout defeat. 

The Mexican squad was looking to keep building momentum for the Copa America beginning on July 11. This is certainly not the definitive answer that head coach Miguel Herrera was seeking from his group, looking outmatched most of the way before Valenzuela's heroics. 

Herrera did say before the match that his major concern was not in the outcome, but in trying to figure out what he will do with his roster, per AllSports.com:

"The result is a consequence of doing well, although not as crucial at this point," Herrera said. "The important thing is to observe which players will start and drawing conclusions for the next game, to try to assemble the base of the team that might start in the Copa America."

That's a good perspective for Herrera to have in a friendly, though he still has a lot of work to do with this roster over the next week. 

Even when Mexico and Peru went into halftime tied 0-0, it was obvious Peru was biding time before finding a moment to strike, as Ives Galarcep of Goal.com noted:

Herrera claimed that he was looking to find players he could use for the Copa America. He needs to find an answer for the offense because Mexico didn't even have a shot on goal until midway through the second half after Peru took a 1-0 lead, and it finished with two on goal for the match. 

By comparison, Peru had 14 total shots and seven shots on goal at the time of scoring its first goal. That constant pressure on the defense and goalie Alfredo Talavera would eventually prove to be too much, though Talavera did everything to keep his team in it. 

Tom Marshall of ESPN FC even noted how the Mexican team was at a disadvantage due to its lack of traditional center midfielders:

Peru did lose some key depth in the match when the referee gave midfielder Pedro Paulo Requena a red card in the 78th minute, though it was too late to make a significant impact for either side. 

These two teams have had a close rivalry in the past leading up to this friendly, as noted by ESPN FC's El Tri Twitter account:

Things didn't change in this match, though Peru must be kicking itself for blowing a golden opportunity. It committed 22 fouls and only converted one of eight total shots on goal, which ESPN FC's Cesar Hernandez was quick to give credit to Talavera:

If there were higher stakes in the match, Peru would have a hard time moving forward from this draw. Being able to use this friendly as a stepping stone, Ricardo Gareca's squad can take the things it did well here—most notably, always being on the offensive attack—and build for the future. 

Gareca is still new to this particular job, starting his fourth month has Peru's head coach, so there is a feeling-out process still going on with this 23-man squad. 

All told, neither Mexico nor Peru will put this game on a year-end highlight reel. The two squads fought against themselves throughout the match, whether it was Peru's inability to convert on opportunities or Mexico's inability to create chances on offense, and the result speaks to that. 

Both teams are still figuring out how good they are leading into the Copa America. Peru gained a better perspective of its standing and will be able to take this match into the tournament. Mexico didn't rise above its limitations but was able to secure a tie that gives Herrera time to tinker with his roster before moving on to a bigger international stage.