The joy that shone on the faces of the Mexicans in Japan, at the final whistle, has many readings, first for the overwhelming victory scoring 6 goals and with an effective game development, both in front and in defense. Later, due to the negative forecasts that were predicted against South Korea, perhaps the most destabilizing team in the Olympic tournament, only after Japan, and who in the most recent Olympic history had not even been able to score. Also due to the individualities, and we saw Antuna, Vega, Laínez, Romo, Martín and more emerge victorious from many 1 vs. 1 and combining wonderfully to solve both short spaces and open fields. Of those days in which everything goes well and the value of the victory achieved generates new sensations in the group, reaffirms the possibilities in one way or another. It is better to learn from victories, and this one will help El Tri feel like a real contender.
South Korea sought to push fast and impose its conditions, but when it had to go back to recover the ball it was imprecise and even slow. The remarkable understanding between the Mexican attack axes, for this game Uriel Antuna, Alexis Vega, Henry Martín and Luis Romo in their constant travels to the front, ended up piercing the Korean lines and generating all the danger that they proposed. This explains the score at half time, Mexico 3-1 Korea.
Later, in desperation to return to the game, Korea tried to be even more aggressive, but the spaces that a team naturally leaves when it goes off to look for the necessary goals, ended up opening the door to Mexican speed. With two or three passes the counterattacks were conditioned and thus they fell goal after goal. The highlight of Sebastián Córdova (5-2), the second in his personal account, a shoe with his left foot – the young América midfielder is ambidextrous, a condition that makes him unpredictable – that left the country speechless.
6-3 ended the quarter-final match, the preamble to what could be another story of Olympic glory for Mexico.
The what and the how
Jaime Lozano’s Tri has 14 goals in four games, a number that represents the offensive capacity that this team has. For the semi-final instance in the London tournament, 9 years ago, Mexico had only 7 goals, only half of those they have already scored in the current Olympic tournament.
The highly fluid connections, the orderly transitions and the ease for the Mexican team to find the offensive keys to create danger in the rival areas are highlighted. Going name by name is even more encouraging, but overall, in game development, Mexico looks stronger than any team in Tokyo 2020. When the pressure comes, the concepts on the court are also reinforced.
Only four teams remain in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic tournament. Host Japan will look to Spain for the first pass to the final, while Jaime Lozano’s Tri will fight for the ticket against Brazil, that country that has already seen us sing the national anthem in London 2012.
Waking up at 5:55 a.m. on Saturday might sound far-fetched, but waking up on Tuesday, or even opting out of sleep, would seem more sickly. Anyway, Mexico could be placed in the men’s Olympic soccer final two cycles after winning the gold, and that does not usually happen on a daily basis. One match to secure medals, two victories to endorse the visit to Olympus with the ball between the feet. Yes, Mexico will face Brazil in the Olympic semifinal this Tuesday, at 3 in the morning.