Beautiful and scoring Mexico! … The Mexican youth team swept the host Chile with a categorical 4-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup in a match played at the Elías Figueroa Brander Stadium, in the city of Valparaíso.
With goals from forward Tahiel Jiménez, in the 26th minute, after an assist from “La Perla Mexicana” Gilberto Mora; from midfielder Iker Fimbres in the 67th minute, and a double from attacker Hugo Camberos in the 80th and 86th minutes, the “Tri” eliminated “La Rojita” showing off a dapper, fast and forceful game.
The Chilean discount was the work of forward Juan Francisco Rossel, in the 88th minute, which did not alleviate the criticism of a local team that had reached the round of 16 questioned for its advance from the group stage thanks to the “fair play” criterion (it eliminated Egypt by “Far Play” by having fewer yellow cards).
With its brilliant classification, Mexico, led by coach Eduardo Arce, awaits its rival in the 4th. who will be the winner of the match between Argentina and Nigeria (they face each other this Wednesday, 3:30 pm ET, with broadcast of Telemundo Sports Now).
The first half evolved quickly in a move from goal to goal, with Chile threatening with two consecutive shots from Lautaro Millán, of the Argentine Independiente, and Rossel.
The Mexican game went through captain Elías Montiel and the rises on the right flank of full-back Diego Sánchez, from Tigres UANL, while the 16-year-old star Mora sought to calibrate himself.
Tijuana’s talented offensive midfielder, wanted by big European clubs, stepped back to enter the game, changed sides and took the set pieces under his command in his first attempts to lead the “Tricolor” to the opening of the scoreboard.
The Mexicans were embracing control of the ball to put local goalkeeper Sebastián Mella under siege, taking out the first attempt by Santos Laguna striker Tahiel Jiménez with a swipe.
With Jiménez himself it was 1-0 for “Tri”, in the 26th minute, after a long cross from Alexei Domínguez that Gilberto Mora brought down with quality, serving the ball first to Jiménez, who, entering the area, finished with his left foot directly at the Mapochian piolas.
The Chilean squad had the will to equalize, especially with Millán, but time passed and the players were overshadowed by the adverse result, in front of packed, but also silenced, stands.
The first play of the second half was for Chile, and an involuntary handball in the area by Mexican defender Diego Ochoa made the local team desperately ask their bench for coach Nicolás Córdova to request a review, but after the intervention of the new VAR, the Portuguese judge did not grant it.
Chile appealed to emotional intensity to corner a Mexico that defended with order, and chose its battles on the counterattack, but the South American attacks succumbed to the anxiety of the elusive goal.
The sentence came with the score 2-0, a great goal scored by the Mexican Iker Fimbres with a mid-range shot, after an assist from captain Montiel. A surprising cross shot beat goalkeeper Mella and destroyed the illusion of “La Rojita”.
At the end, newcomers Amaury Morales, with two assists, and forward Hugo Camberos, from Guadalajara, with a double, completed the huge Aztec victory.
After a long collective play in the 80th minute, with a succession of good passes and deep advances, Camberos finished from the small area to beat the Mapochino goalkeeper.
And in the 86th, taking advantage of a pass into the void on the right wing, Morales beat his marker with an excellent maneuver and took a back serve that Camberos took advantage of to shoot low on the run and nail the ball into the hosts’ near post.
With the Chilean defeat decided, before the end their striker Rossel, with a good left foot, scored his first goal of the tournament as a reward for his insistence in the 88th minute, after a pass from Millán, the most feisty of the locals.
In this way, the surprising Mexican team will play in the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup, next Saturday, October 11, at 3:30 pm ET (against Argentina or Nigeria), at the National Stadium in the capital Santiago, Chile.
This is how they aligned
– Chile (1): Sebastian Mella; Felipe Faúndez, Ian Garguez, Nicolás Suárez, Patricio Romero (m.79, Rodrigo Godoy); Agustín Arce, Milovan Celis, Javier Cárcamo (d.63, Joaquín Silva), Lautaro Millán, Vicente Álvarez (d.63, Francisco Marchant); Juan Francisco Rossel.
– Selector: Nicolás Córdova.
– Mexico (4): Emmanuel Ochoa Everardo López (m.82, César Bustos), Diego Ochoa (m.88, Jaziel Mendoza), Rodrigo Pachuca; Diego Sánchez, Elias Montiel; Iker Fimbres, Obed Vargas, Alexei Domínguez (m.77, Amaury Morales); Gilberto Mora (m.77, Hugo Camberos), Tahiel Jiménez (m.77, Oswaldo Virgen).
– Selector: Eduardo Arce.
– Goals: 0-1, m.26: Tahiel Jiménez. 0-2, m.67: Iker Fimbres. 0-3, m.80: Hugo Camberos. 0-4, m.86: Hugo Camberos. 1-4, m.88: Juan Francisco Rossel.
– Referee: The Portuguese Joao Pinheiro cautioned Domínguez, Montiel, Morales and Marchant.
– Incidents: Match for the round of 16 of the “U20 World Cup Chile 2025”, played at the Elías Figueroa Brander Stadium, in Valparaíso.
(With a report from María José Rey, from EFE)
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