Mexico needed goals from Giovani dos Santos and Marco Fabian to earn a hard-fought 2-1 win over New Zealand on Saturday.
Here are my three takeaways from Mexico’s win over the All Whites:
Mexico’s defense looked shaky
On a night where Mexico was expected to dominate possession, having your center backs bring the ball out seemed like sensible plan from coach Juan Carlos Osorio. But a defensive trio of Jordan Silva, Hugo Ayala, and Hedgardo Marin never looked confident in an unorthodox 3-3-3-1 formation.
When Hedgardo Marin pushed forward, it almost seemed like the players around him were refusing to commit, allowing New Zealand to take advantage of some sloppy play.