Mexico Made to Work by Jamaica but Javier Hernandez Helps Seal Qualification

On the surface, Mexico's Copa America Centenario clash against Jamaica couldn't have gone much better.

In recording a 2-0 win in front of a crowd of 83,263 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Thursday, El Tri kept a clean sheet, extended their unbeaten run to 21 games and booked a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Perfect, right?

However, if you scratch a little deeper below the bare facts, there are reasons why Mexican fans shouldn't get too carried away just yet.

The repeat of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup final basically boiled down to a tale of two strikers.

Harry How/Getty Images

While Javier Hernandez showed his predatory instincts with Mexico's opening goal in the 18th minute, fellow forward Clayton Donaldson had a game to forget for Jamaica.

The Reggae Boyz had enough chances to get at least a draw from the contest. Instead, their profligacy in the penalty area must have had coach Winfried Schafer—watching from the stands after being sent off during his side's 1-0 loss to Venezuela—pulling his lovely hair out.

Donaldson was twice guilty of dragging wide glorious shooting opportunities inside the area, while he also took a theatrical tumble in the first half when well placed to pull the trigger again.

When the same player seemed to be clipped by Yasser Corona in the box after the break, the officials denied him a penalty.

Think of it as the footballing equivalent of Aesop's fable, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." There was contact, but Donaldson exaggerated his fall.

Hernandez, in contrast, was clinical with his solitary chance in the first half.

According to the official website, the Rose Bowl plays host to the monthly R.G. Canning flea market on Sunday. Less than 72 hours before the shoppers arrive at the famous venue, Chicharito offered another example of why Bayer Leverkusen picked up a bargain.

According to Transfermarkt, the Bundesliga club forked out £9 million to sign the player in the summer of 2015. Hernandez more than justified the fee with 26 goals in his debut season in Germany.

He is a prolific poacher who was badly pigeonholed as a super sub during spells at both Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Per Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, Chicharito revealed he uses more than just his eyes to spot an opportunity: "If you’re inside the box and a cross is coming, sometimes you need, as we say in Spanish, to smell the intuition, to smell where the cross is going."

He certainly sniffed out his goal against Jamaica.

Despite the presence of defenders Wes Morgan and Jermaine Taylor inside the area, Hernandez somehow squeezed between the colossal centre-backs.

His awareness, coupled with his clever movement, allowed him to head home Jesus Manuel Corona's cross from the left and take him to 45 goals for his country.

Hernandez's senses did not work quite so well in the second half, as he narrowly failed to convert Raul Jimenez's header back across the face of goal. It did not matter in the final reckoning.

Mexico eventually made the game safe when substitute Oribe Peralta steered a left-footed shot on target to double his side's lead in the 81st minute.

Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio deserves some credit for the second goal, too. As was the case in the 3-1 victory over Uruguay in El Tri's tournament opener, the Mexico boss withdrew Hernandez late on. And, once again, the replacement's impact justified the change.

Peralta's shot was hardly hit with power, but it had the precision to beat Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake and go in off the post.

Jimenez—who had been involved in Mexico's two late goals on Sunday after his introduction off the bench—was handed a starting role against Jamaica.

So too was goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The 30-year-old vindicated his selection ahead of Alfredo Talavera with one vital block from Michael Hector before the half-time interval. He also made another save to prevent Jamaica halving the deficit with six minutes to play, preserving his clean sheet in the process.

Osorio can feel rightly pleased about the choices of Jimenez and Ochoa in his starting XI.

What he won't appreciate so much is his side's carelessness in possession. El Tri were too often guilty of surrendering the ball close to their own goal—a better side than Jamaica would have made them pay.

Mexico also struggled badly when attempting to switch play. Long, raking passes to the wings were a bright idea, but too often the execution let them down.

As journalist Cesar Hernandez pointed out on Twitter, the absence of the suspended Andres Guardado was keenly felt in El Tri's midfield.

Osorio—who also demonstrated his willingness to make changes by switching formation from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3 at half-time—can take plenty from his team's performance, both good and bad.

Jon Arnold of Goal noted: "More than 83,000 fans at the Rose Bowl can celebrate a well-earned victory, but Osorio is the first to realise that there's still more work to do before his side lands among the elite in this tournament."

Jamaica's Copa campaign has taken the same path as the nation's bobsleigh team in the film Cool Runnings—it's gone downhill fast.

As for Mexico, their stock continues to rise. What should delight their coach is that while they have started out with back-to-back victories, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

They now move on to face Venezuela, surprise 1-0 winners over Uruguay on Thursday, in a straight shootout for top spot in Group C.

The outcome of Monday's game in Houston, Texas, will be crucial, considering Argentina will likely lie in wait for the team that finishes second in the table.