New Mexican Motto: ‘We Shall Overcome’
Adversity continues to make the Mexican World Cup team tougher.
Its mediocre play before the tournament included four losses to club teams, a listless showing that followed the dismissal of coach Bora Milutinovic and promotion of Manuel Lapuente after the team had clinched its World Cup berth. Compared to that turmoil, giving up an early goal to South Korea on Saturday in their Group E opener must have seemed like a minor bump in a rocky road.
Despite its early deficit, Mexico remained united in spirit and purpose. Slowly but inexorably, one-on-one battle by one-on-one battle, Mexico wore down an ambitious but still developing South Korean team that had to play the final 60 minutes short a man after Ha Seok Ju was ejected for tackling from behind.
Mexico’s 3-1 victory at Stade Gerland, its first World Cup win in Europe, sent its many fans in the crowd of 37,588 out into the streets of Lyon for a night of partying, their joy hardly dampened by the rain that fell throughout the second half. Mexico played a strong and entertaining game that reflected none of the turmoil it had endured and might augur well for matching its previous best performances of reaching the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986.
“When we were losing, 1-0, we decided we had to play very tough,” said striker Luis Hernandez, who scored Mexico’s second and third goals.
“We needed those goals. Obviously, this is only the first game. We’ve got to stay really stable and play strong.”
Ha’s goal in the 28th minute, a free kick that changed directions and eluded goalkeeper Jorge Campos after the ball glanced off the head of Mexican defender Duilio Davino, had given South Korea a lead even though Mexico by far had the better of play in the opening minutes. Ha’s misdeed in tackling Ramon Ramirez from behind, however, cost his team a chance at recording its first World Cup victory in five appearances in the finals.
“I think we suffered from one event: Ha got the goal and then was sent off,” said South Korean Coach Cha Bum Kun, who spent 10 years playing in the German Bundesliga and is probably the best player his nation has produced.
“Obviously, 10 against 11, we were at a disadvantage. . . . Mexico has historically always played very well in the World Cup. They are a very good team. With the final score 3-1, it may seem a substantial difference.”
The greatest differences were in Mexico’s superior individual skills, but to those the Mexicans added substantial heart. “The Korea Republic goal really gave us a shock. We had a pep talk and we said we were going to do everything in our power to get back into the game,” midfielder Jaime Ordiales said. “It was tough, but we rose to the challenge.”
Their resolve was obvious in the opening minutes of the second half when they began to pressure the South Korean defense into mistakes. After substitute forward Ricardo Pelaez tied the score in the 51st minute on a play that began with Ramirez’s corner kick, Hernandez put Mexico ahead with a deft turn of his right leg from a nearly impossible angle in the 75th minute.
Hernandez clinched the victory in the 84th minute when he took a short pass from Cuauhtemoc Blanco, made a half-turn, and victimized goalkeeper Kim Byung Ji by sliding the ball into the lower-left corner of the net.
“I’m really happy that I scored for my country. That was a great moment of joy for Mexico,” said Hernandez, who celebrated his first goal by ripping off the headband he wears to hold back his long, blond hair. “In the second half, we didn’t lose our heads, and that’s why we won.”
Mexico, placed in a tough group with Belgium and the Netherlands, could ill afford to have gotten anything less than a victory Saturday. Thanks to its resilience and an offense that looked formidable, it can breathe a little easier.
“Our next match against Belgium [next Saturday at Bordeaux] will be much harder,” Ordiales said. “We’ll have to raise our game and play more intelligent football.”
* DAILY REPORT: C11
* U.S. REPORT: C11
* OTHER COVERAGE: B3, C12-13
