It was the type of performance that left the home fans throwing objects
at opposing players and chanting for the team's head coach to be fired.
Mexico
once again played to a draw and failed to score in an important World
Cup qualifying match as Costa Rica held El Tri to a 0-0 draw at Azteca
Stadium on Tuesday night.
Mexico, the highest ranked nation in
the CONCACAF region, has played to nine draws in 10 games in 2013. The
team has gone scoreless in three of its five Hexagonal matches.
With their side's offense continuing its offensive struggle, the game took an ugly turn as the home fans tossed objects at Costa Rica captain Carlos Ruiz late in the second half. They ended the match by calling for the firing of coach José Manuel de la Torre.
Mexico
had entered the match in a three-way tie with Costa Rica and the United
States atop the Hexagonal standings with one game in hand.
De La Torre, who is surely on thin ice, paired star striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez with Aldo De Nigris. He decided to leave midfielder Gio dos Santos out of the starting lineup in a desperate attempt to shake up his team.
But it was Costa Rica which would set the tone early.
The Ticos, who arrived at the stadium later than expected due to Mexico City traffic, slowly built momentum throughout the first half and did enough to hold off Mexico in the second half.
In the fourth minute, Joel Cambell had the first golden opportunity of the match when he raced past Mexico defender Maza Rodriguez and beat goalkeeper Jose Corona only to hit the far post.
Later
in the half, Corona was forced to make a diving save off a Cambell
attempt from inside box in the 37th minute followed by Ruiz firing a
long shot right over the crossbar in the 41st.
Chicharito, who entered the match with 32 goals in 47 appearances for Mexico, looked frustrated as El Tri's
attack continued to struggle during the calendar year. He received a
yellow card in the first half for unnecessarily knocking down Michael
Umana during a dead ball.
In an attempt to give Chicharito
some help up front De La Torre replaced De Nigris in the beginning of
the second half in favor of young Club America striker Raul Juminez, but
not much would change in the final 45.
Costa Rica had the best
opportunity to break the deadlock off a long free kick that left Corona
out of position and the ball sail just wide of the post.
De la Torre didn't play Dos Santos until the 78th minute.
Mexico
pushed for a final goal and nearly got it when defender Gerardo Flores
redirected a free kick to the far post but Chicharito was unable to get a
piece of the ball as it sailed out of bounds.
Costa Rica wasted
as much time as possible as seven minutes were added after 90 minutes.
The excessive injury time was due to fans tossing objects at Ruiz, one
of which hit the forward in the head.
It was not the ending
Mexico would have liked, especially in its final game before the
Confederations Cup begins Sunday against Italy. El Tri is looking to win
the competition for only the second time.
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