Mexico Defeat Turkey in 2018 Toulon Tournament; Eduardo Aguirre Nets Hat-Trick

Mexico reached the 2018 Toulon Tournament final after beating Turkey 3-1 at the Stade de Lattre-de-Tassigny in Aubagne, France, on Wednesday.

A hat-trick from Eduardo Aguirre means 2012's winners will wait on the outcome of England's match against Scotland to see who they will face in this year's final. Kubilay Kanatsizkus' successful late penalty was the only response Turkey could muster in defeat.

Despite some strong early pressure, it took Mexico 26 minutes to take the lead. The goal came courtesy of the prolific Aguirre, who found the net with a deft lob over Turkey goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer.

Aguirre had been played in by Diego Lainez, who registered his third assist of the tournament while once again showcasing his obvious potential. The Club America forward's pace and trickery was keeping Turkey on their heels.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

Whenever the Turks did venture forward, they found Jose Hernandez a stubborn figure between the posts. The 21-year-old Atlas stopper got El Tri out of trouble more than once during the opening 30 minutes.

There was a blow for Mexico when skipper Cesar Montes suffered injury just before the break, and he was replaced by Joaquin Esquivel.

Mex Nex Gen was far from impressed by Turkey's aggressive approach:

More tough injury news came when midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez was replaced by Francisco Cordova at the start of the second half. The changes couldn't derail El Tri, though, as coach Marc Antonio Ruiz's team doubled its lead on 57 minutes when Aguirre completed his brace.

This time, the assist came from crafty winger Uriel Antuna, whose guile was providing a worthy complement to the pace of Aguirre.

However, Lainez still remained in the spotlight, with YouTuber Nayib Moran marvelling at his role in the buildup after the 17-year-old had beaten a host of players on the wing:

It proved to be Lainez's last contribution before he was substituted with an apparent injury on 75 minutes. Ulises Israel replaced Mexico's star man, whose fitness will now be at the forefront of Ruiz's thoughts ahead of the final.

There was still time for Aguirre to wrap up his hat-trick after stroking in a penalty. Turkey's lone consolation also came from the penalty spot as Bursaspor forward Kanatsizkus scored from 12 yards after Esquivel had conceded a foul.

Mexico were worthy winners after once again turning on the style in attacking areas. Even with the injuries, they have enough match-winners up top to take the trophy home, regardless of who they meet in the final.