Mexico vs. El Salvador: Winners and Losers from 2018 World Cup Qualifier

Mexico kicked off FIFA World Cup qualifying with an easy 3-0 victory over El Salvador on Friday night at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Captain Andres Guardado fired El Tri into a seventh-minute lead with a superb free kick, and Hector Herrera made it 2-0 three minutes before halftime. Mexico continued to dominate the second half and added a third goal through Carlos Vela in the 64th minute.

Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Andres Guardado

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Andres Guardado was the star man as Mexico won the Gold Cup this past summer, and the midfielder was outstanding again on Friday night as El Tri opened World Cup qualifying in style.

With Mexico dominating the opening stages of the match, Guardado curled in the opening goal with a top-class free kick. He didn't stop there, though. As ever, the midfield maestro orchestrated most of Mexico's best attacks with exemplary passing and impressive vision.

At ESPN FC, Tom Marshall wrote:

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The captain, who is up for Mexico's professional sportsperson of the year award, has been Mexico's best and most consistent performer of 2015, through the Miguel Herrera era and the Gold Cup and onto Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's brief stint. The good news for Osorio, on Friday's display, is that Guardado's form looks set to continue.

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Guardado is enjoying an extended run of good form at the international level, and Mexico will be hoping it continues throughout qualification.

Winner: Jesus Corona

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Jose Corona had the honor of wearing the No. 10 shirt for Mexico on Friday night. He didn't disappoint.

The 22-year-old Porto winger excelled on the left flank for El Tri, consistently creating dangerous situations with his dribbling and crossing. In addition, Tecatito showed a strength that previously had not been evident in his appearances with Mexico. 

In the second half, Corona capped his strong individual performance with the assist on Carlos Vela's goal.

"Tecatito’s most recents games for El Tri have shown that he’s ready to wear that no. 10 jersey for many years to come," tweeted the Mexican Soccer Show's Nayib Moran.

Winner and Loser: Carlos Vela

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Friday's game marked Carlos Vela's first qualifying match with Mexico since Oct. 14, 2009, according to Moran (h/t ESPN FC Mexico). But in the first half, the Real Sociedad man seemed off the pace—lost on Mexico's right side. He improved after the break, however, and scored a fine goal to give Mexico a 3-0 lead.

On this occasion, Vela made up for a below-standard first half with a better showing after the break. El Tri will be looking for more consistency from him as qualification continues.

Winner: Juan Carlos Osorio

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Juan Carlos Osorio hardly could have asked for a more ideal introduction to El Tri. As Mexico's eighth coach since 2010, according to ESPN FC Mexico, Osorio knew he needed a good showing in his debut. That's what he got, albeit against an overmatched opponent.

As outlined in the previous slides, Mexico benefited from good outings from several players, especially Andres Guardado and Jesus Corona. No doubt Osorio came up with plenty of positive entries for his pocket-sized notebook, into which he scribbled furiously for much of the first half.

"We're making a very big and genuine effort to understand that you have to be very committed and willing to work because in contemporary soccer you don't only win with talent," Osorio said on Thursday, per Goal.com's Jon Arnold. "You must also to have something else, and I think the guys are well aware that when you play rivals with less history, not with less quality, we should really have this in mind."

Mexico's players seemed to heed the message. El Salvador were overmatched, but El Tri began the game at a high pace. That brilliant start produced an early goal that calmed any nerves and set the stage for a comfortable win.

Osorio will have tougher tests in his tenure with Mexico, but he passed the first with a minimum of fuss.

Loser: The Rest of Group A

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Friday's win sent Mexico straight to the top of Group A. In all probability, El Tri will have no trouble staying there.

Not to disparage Canada, Honduras or El Salvador, but the best team in the group is clearly Mexico. In fact, El Tri is also the best team in the CONCACAF region right now, as last summer's Gold Cup triumph showed.

With five more outings like this one, Mexico should finish atop Group A quite comfortably and advance to the final round of qualifying—known as the Hexagonal—with plenty of momentum.