Mexico Sputters, Ties Angola

Mexico did everything conceivable to score on Angola, but the African team gave as good as it got and emerged with an honorable 0-0 tie Friday and its first-ever World Cup point.

With four points in the bank, Mexico is closer to advancing to the second round, but it’s not yet secured for Coach Ricardo Lavolpe’s team.

Mexico plays Portugal in its final first-round match at Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. The Portuguese, who play Iran at Frankfurt today, have three points. The Iranians have none.

Lavolpe on Friday started eight of the players who played all 90 minutes in Mexico’s 3-1 victory over Iran last Sunday and two who had played 45 minutes. The only change in his starting lineup was midfielder Zinha, who replaced injured striker Jared Borgetti.

Borgetti, Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer, was sorely missed. Without him, Mexico had no one with the height and experience to challenge acrobatic Angolan goalkeeper Joao Ricardo, who made a couple of blunders but, more important, a series of spectacular saves to keep his team in the hunt.

After a desultory first half, Mexico spent most of the second 45 minutes camped in the Angolan end of the field and hammered at the African team’s defense to no avail.

Even when Angola was reduced to 10 men with the ejection of midfielder Andre in the 79th minute after he had deliberately handled the ball, Mexico could not capitalize.

The vast majority of the crowd of 43,000 at Hanover’s World Cup Stadium urged Mexico forward, but wave after wave of attacks foundered.

Twice, Mexico might have felt ill done by.

In the first half, a free kick by defender Rafael Marquez deflected off a player in Angola’s defensive wall, then caromed off the foot of the right post and away.

In the second half, Omar Bravo saw his off-balance shot hit the same post a little higher up. Again, the ball rebounded clear.

Angola grew in confidence the longer the game wore on. Mexico, in contrast, became more harried, more ragged, more mistake-prone.

Lavolpe noticed the trend. He paced in front of the Mexico bench, he held his head in his hands, he ran his fingers through his hair, he turned away in disgust at each near miss by his team.

He even tried throwing new players into the mix, sending on forward Jesus Arellano for midfielder Zinha to add impetus to the attack. It didn’t work.

Later, he sent on Francisco “Kikin” Fonseca in place of Guillermo Franco to give fresh legs to the forward line. It didn’t work.

Close call followed close call, but Angola’s luck held. Ricardo did splendidly to fling himself to his right and turn a rocket-like shot from Marquez around the left post.

Defender Jamba stuck out a leg and blocked Arellano’s shot after Ricardo had made a fingertip save on a Franco shot.

Time and again, the African team made the timely interception. For Angola, a point was precious. At the end, its players celebrated as if they had won.

In a sense, they had.