Jekyll-and-Hyde Mexico Find a Way to See off Uruguay and Take Control of Group C

After a sluggish start, the Copa America Centenario burst into life on Sunday. 

At the end of a weekend that saw the world say its farewells to the great boxer Muhammad Ali, heavyweights Mexico and Uruguay went toe-to-toe in Glendale, Arizona. Instead of the Rumble in the Jungle, it was the Duel in the Desert.

The Group C rivals combined to produce four goals (one of which was scored in the wrong net), two red cards and a whole heap of talking points. And that was without the injured Luis Suarez playing, too. 

So much for easing yourself in at a major tournament.

Mexico came away with a 3-1 victory thanks to two late goals. They deserved to walk away with the three points, even if it was something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from Juan Carlos Osorio's side.

The University of Phoenix Stadium has a climate-control system to help keep everyone cool inside the venue. However, it didn't take long for things to boil over.

Uruguay were ticking even before a ball had been kicked, due to a mistake over their national anthem:

Their mood hardly improved when full-back Alvaro Pereira unfortunately headed home a left-wing cross beyond his own goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, in the opening minutes.

However, the buildup to the goal summed up Mexico's display in the first 45 minutes.

Colombian Osorio's decision to go with a 3-4-3 formation seemed a masterstroke during the opening half—his side were fast, flexible and full of bright ideas.

To say wingers Javier Aquino and Jesus Corona hugged the touchline was an understatement—they had enough chalk on their boots to make a pack of Crayola crayons between them.

The first goal perfectly demonstrated the way Osorio wants his team to play. While it was a cross from wide on the left that led to Pereira's own goal, the ball was played in by central midfielder Andres Guardado. That is exactly the kind of interchanging of position the Mexico boss welcomes.

El Tri were, er, Tri-mendous, as pointed out by Tom Marshall of ESPN FC:

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The triangles between the back three, the four midfielders in front, combined with the two wingers and Javier Hernandez seemed to confuse Uruguay, whose players didn't seem to know who they were supposed to mark at any given point.

This was a Mexico team recycling the ball at pace, playing out from the back boldly, dominating possession and exciting the fans in the stadium. It was exactly the type of football they had paid to come to see and the kind of performance Pep Guardiola would've loudly applauded.

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Uruguay midfielder Matias Vecino got so tired of chasing shadows he decided to kick them instead. In picking up a second booking just before the break, he left his side shorthanded.

A fine half for Mexico ended with them both a goal and a man up. Perfect. Then came half-time.

Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images

Osorio's Mexican monster simply never returned to the field after the break. Despite being down to 10 men, Uruguay changed their shape and seized control of proceedings.

Guardado evened up the numbers by picking up a second booking. He had barely left the field of play when Diego Godin headed in an equaliser.

At 1-1 in the 73rd minute, Uruguay suddenly seemed the team more likely to go on and claim victory, but Mexico were in no mood to see their 19-match winning streak come to an end.

Rafael Marquez was the unlikely scorer of the game's all-important third goal. After a corner seemed to have gone awry, the veteran defender was on hand to smash home a first-time shot from a tight angle.

Yet it was at the other end where Marquez had shown his value to El Tri. His 85th-minute goal will make all the highlight packages for television, but his interception, made on the stretch, in the first half to stop a cross reaching Edinson Cavani was just as crucial.

Jon Arnold of Goal felt the 37-year-old rolled back the years for the national team after a difficult domestic season. He wrote:

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At times during the Liga MX season with Atlas, Marquez looked far more like a liability than an asset. There's no doubt he's not as quick as he was when he won championships in Europe or even with Leon. But his timing hasn't left him. He went to the ground to make blocks when he needed and made sure a back line that wasn't playing in a typical way knew what it needed to do.

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Hector Herrera—the man who had pressured Pereira into a mistake in the opening minutes—sealed the deal with a third for Mexico in stoppage time.

It wasn't quite as dramatic as Ali's rope-a-dope tactic against George Foreman in 1974, but El Tri had caught their tired rivals with two knockout blows in the closing rounds.

Uruguay did not take the defeat well, according to Arnold on Twitter:

Mexico, however, kept their cool to triumph.

In the first half, they demonstrated just why they are fancied to do well at this year's Copa America. In the second, they displayed the resilience required to prosper when the going gets tough.

For Osorio and El Tri, the signs are promising. With games against Jamaica and Venezuela to come, they will expect to finish on top of the group.