SB Nation International Friendlies
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'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre scored his first home win as Mexico manager on Friday night, as El Tri defeated Serbia 2-0 in Queretaro.
Following their exit in Euro 2012 qualifying, Serbia are a team undergoing changes. Neven Subotic is out with an injury, while Nemanja Vidic and Dejan Stankovic have both elected to retire from international duty. This leaves them looking a bit weaker than they were just a couple of months ago, but the likes of Branoslav Ivanovic and Milos Krasic are still in the side, and should present a challenge to Mexico. 'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre is without Gerardo Torrado in his El Tri side, but the rest of the team is first choice. Jesus Zavala steps into Torrado's place, while the other 10 players are Mexico's best. Here are the starting lineups.
Mexico Lineup (4-2-3-1): Talavera; Salcido, Rodriguez, Moreno, Juarez; Zavala, Castro; Guardado, dos Santos, Barrera; Hernandez
Serbia Lineup (4-4-2): Stojkovic; Ninkov, Ivanovic, Rajkovic, Kolarov; Kacar, Kuzmanovic, Ninkovic, Krasic; Jovanovic, Zigic
Kickoff is at 9:00 pm ET, and the game can be seen in the USA on Univision. For more on El Tri and Mexican football in general, visit SB Nation's Mexican futbol blog FMF State Of Mind.
Mexico manager 'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre has been on the job for almost a year now and is off to a fantastic start, but has yet to win a match at home. In the build-up to the 2011 Gold Cup - which Mexico won - and in the immediate time afterwards, El Tri played all of their friendlies in the United States. During the last international break, Mexico played Brazil in Torreon and fell 2-1, thanks to two late goals.
Thanks to all of that, Chepo is a very successful manager, despite the fact that he doesn't have a home win. Fans will be expecting him to change that on Friday night, as Mexico hosts Serbia in Queretaro. El Tri's side is almost completely a full side, and they should be able to field an extremely strong lineup.
Gerardo Torrado is the only clear-cut first choice player missing from the squad. Veteran defender Rafael Marquez is out due to poor performances with his club side New York Red Bulls, while Aldo de Nigris has struggled with injuries this season and is now below Oribe Peralta in the pecking order. 'Chicharito' Javier Hernandez, Andres Guardado and 'Maza' Fransisco Rodriguez, thought of as the most untouchable fixtures in the starting XI, are all expected to start the match.
Serbia boast a strong side that should challenge Mexico, featuring Fiorentina attacking midfielder Adem Ljajić, Juventus winger Miloš Krasić and Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanović, among others. Caretaker manager Radovan Curcic isn't expected to change much systematically from the team under Vladimir Petrovic, who was fired after Serbia failed to qualify for Euro 2012.
Kickoff is at 9:00 pm ET, and the game can be seen in the USA on Univision. For more on El Tri and Mexican football in general, visit SB Nation's Mexican futbol blog FMF State Of Mind.
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Mexico Vs. Serbia, 2011 International Friendly: Full Time, 'Chicharito' Javier Hernandez Phantom Goal Gives El Tri Victory
It wasn't the most thrilling of encounters, but 'Chicharito' Javier Hernandez was on his game to give 'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre his first home win as Mexico manager. Chicharito 'scored' the opener and converted a late penalty, giving El Tri a 2-0 win over Serbia in Queretaro.
'Scored' is in quotes because the opening goal is currently being credited to Hernandez, but should probably be credited to left back Carlos Salcido. In the second minute, Salcido put a cross into the box towards the head of Hernandez. If the Little Pea got a touch on the ball, it was ever so slight as Salcido's cross appeared to go directly into the goal at the back post, giving El Tri the lead.
The match was a bit dull afterwards, with Serbia playing a very physical game. Chicharito was knocked down numerous times inside and outside of his penalty area, with the referee calling a lenient game and only giving fouls around half the time he was taken down. He would win a penalty in the 83rd minute, however, and stepped up to convert it for his brace. Hernandez now has an incredible 13 goals in his last 14 international appearances if the first goal stands.
For more on El Tri and Mexican football in general, visit SB Nation's Mexican futbol blog FMF State Of Mind.
Nov 11 11:02p by Kevin McCauley - 0 comments