Jimenez rescues Mexico
Mexico won a new chance to qualify for the World Cup after a splendid bicycle kick by Raul Alonso Jimenez helped his team defeat Panama on Friday.
Jimenez scored his wonder goal five minutes before the end and just two minutes after entering the game to give the home side a 2-1 victory at a packed Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The victory gives Mexico command of the fourth spot in the CONCACAF regional group, which would give them a playoff game with Oceania champions New Zealand.
The United States and Costa Rica have secured two of the three direct qualifying spots with one round left to play on Tuesday.
Honduras hold the third spot with 14 points, three ahead of Mexico, and need only to draw at last-placed Jamaica on Tuesday to clinch the final direct entry from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Mexico, who face Costa Rica on Tuesday, still have a slim chance of avoiding the New Zealand clash and qualifying outright as the third-place finishers in the six-nation group. But there is still a slight chance they could be knocked from fourth place by Panama, who host the United States in the final set of matches next week.
Mexico opened the score against Panama at the 40th minute wih Manchester United forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez lobbing a pass to Oribe Peralta who didn’t miss his chance inside the area.
But Hernandez missed a penalty in the second half after his weak attempt was saved by goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
His miss was followed by a costly mistake by keeper Guillermo Ochoa, whose failure to secure the ball inside the area allowed Luis Tejada to tap it in from close range in the 80th.
But Jimenez came in for Jesus Eduardo Zavala and revived Mexico’s hopes.
Jimenez scored his wonder goal five minutes before the end and just two minutes after entering the game to give the home side a 2-1 victory at a packed Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The victory gives Mexico command of the fourth spot in the CONCACAF regional group, which would give them a playoff game with Oceania champions New Zealand.
The United States and Costa Rica have secured two of the three direct qualifying spots with one round left to play on Tuesday.
Honduras hold the third spot with 14 points, three ahead of Mexico, and need only to draw at last-placed Jamaica on Tuesday to clinch the final direct entry from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Mexico, who face Costa Rica on Tuesday, still have a slim chance of avoiding the New Zealand clash and qualifying outright as the third-place finishers in the six-nation group. But there is still a slight chance they could be knocked from fourth place by Panama, who host the United States in the final set of matches next week.
Mexico opened the score against Panama at the 40th minute wih Manchester United forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez lobbing a pass to Oribe Peralta who didn’t miss his chance inside the area.
But Hernandez missed a penalty in the second half after his weak attempt was saved by goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
His miss was followed by a costly mistake by keeper Guillermo Ochoa, whose failure to secure the ball inside the area allowed Luis Tejada to tap it in from close range in the 80th.
But Jimenez came in for Jesus Eduardo Zavala and revived Mexico’s hopes.
