Mexico's
football just keeps getting better and better. The Tricolores started
off strong in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, scoring the
second-fastest goal in Olympic history after 29 seconds from the
start. Santos Laguna forward Oribe Peralta netted the ball in to the
near post from a right-footed shot outside the box. A defensive
mishap involving both Brazil's players and keeper cost the 5-time
World Cup champions an easy ball. Brazil put on the pressure, but
Mexico was just as motivated and was able to better hold on to the
ball. Brazil's first real attempt came after 20 minutes of play when
Marcelo ran up the left flank and passed to Damiao , whose shot was
saved by Corona. Manager Menezes took a risk in making an early
substitution, having Hulk come on for Alex Sandro on the 32nd minute.
Mexico kept up the attack. Marco Fabian's far shot went a bit wide of
the lower right corner. Jose Corona saved the ball from Brazil's
second attempt - a long ball that ricocheted off the ground and was
headed for the near post. Marcelo had a go at storming Mexico's net,
but his shot went wide. The Madrid star soon got booked for a tackle
from behind. Right before halftime, Hulk passed to Neymar from the
left side, but the resulting shot was taken by Corona. Brazil held
the initiative for about 15 minutes, but Neymar's sloppy shots all
went off-target, and the team trailed behind 1-0.
Neymar
started off the second half for Brazil playing just as badly as he
did the first, ultimately losing the ball in the box. Mexico's chance
to double the score in the second half arrived on the 64th minute
when Fabian's half-bicycle attempt hit the crossbar. Leandro Damiao
countered for Brazil, but Mier cleared the ball before the Brazilian
could pass to Neymar. Mexico's goal on the 69th minute was disallowed
for having been offside. Alexandre Pato came on for Sandro, but did
little to make a significant impact for his team. Peralta got his
double on the 75th minute. A nicely-delivered free kick gave the
Santos Laguna forward the header to put Mexico forward once again,
angering Brazilian manager Menezes, who looked like he wanted to take
care of business. Both teams saw back-to-back counters. Peralta
missed his hat-trick opportunity, earning a corner instead. Corona
came off the line to apprehend Neymar's run and clear the ball away.
Peralta was subbed off on the 86th minute and left to a whistling
standing ovation. It may not have been a good move for Mexico, as
they gave away a bunch of opportunities when there was still time
left to significantly alter the score. Fabian kept up the attack for
Mexico. His best attempt came at the start of added time when he went
one-on-one, resulting in a wide shot. Mexico gave away the last ten
minutes, plus added time, to the weaker Brazilian team, which
eventually scored its only goal of the match. Hulk's individual
skills came into play and he shot the ball into the far post on his
second touch. But one goal wasn't enough for the Brazilian side to
take the gold.
Though
the teams were about equal in moments that the individual players
created, Mexico played a much more creative, more productive game. El
Tri dominated the entire game, with the exception of the last parts
of the first and second halves. Mexico's defending in the box was
superb; they almost never let Brazil have a shot at scoring. British
ref Mark Clattenburg was pretty solid in his decisions. Ultimately,
El Tri's pre-Olympic friendly practice against English, Russian, and
German teams allowed them to play against different styles,
perfecting their already-growing technical prowess. You really can't
compare Oribe Peralta's incredible game with Neymar's resultless,
sloppy attacks. Today's game shows more than ever that the Brazilian
striker is simply overrated and does not live up to his celebrity
status on the pitch. Mexico walk away with a well-deserved gold. The
Olympic team's victory isn't the only recent accomplishment for
Mexico. Their U-20 team won the VTB Lev Yashin Cup against Dynamo
Moscow in a 2-1 win in July. The team defeated the Turkish National
Team 7-0 before reaching the final. A year ago, Mexico's U-17
defeated Uruguay to claim the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
London 2012 Olympics – Men's Football Final
Mexico U-23 vs. Brazil U-23 – 2:1 (1:0)
Arena: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (GBR)
Goals:
1:0 Oribe Peralta ('1)
2:0 Oribe Peralta ('75)
2:1 Hulk ('90+)
