With torrential rain pouring down and two goals already contentiously disallowed, tens of thousands of soggy, but boisterous Mexico fans were getting nervous.
They had already started chanting for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, the striker benched in favor of Oribe Peralta, to come on and deliver a game-winner.
Seconds after the chant began, Peralta scored in the 61st minute to help Mexico to a 1-0 victory on Friday and the three points it needed to have any chance of advancing from a tough Group A at the World Cup.
Peralta’s goal gave Mexico their first win over an African team at the World Cup and justified coach Miguel Herrera’s faith that he could deliver on the biggest stage in the world.
A non-factor most of the first half, Peralta broke the deadlock with his left foot after Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje parried Giovanni Dos Santos’ attempt from the edge of the area.
The goal relieved the pressure that had been building steadily after Dos Santos had two goals disallowed in the first half, frustrating the Mexican team that was controlling the game with their speed and ball possession.
“We could have scored more, but unfortunately we’re not used to these conditions,” Herrera said. “Frankly, the refereeing took away two clear goals, but at the end of the day you’ve got to work for it, and we get to the next match with three points and very high spirits.”
Tournament host and favorite Brazil lead the group after a 3-1 win over Croatia in the opening game. Mexico play Brazil on Tuesday in Fortaleza.
While the heat was expected to be an issue in this balmy coastal city, rain soaked the field at the new Arena das Dunas starting about four hours before the match and never let up, creating a cool day, but a slick surface.
Mexico players said the field held up well and the conditions favored their style of play.
“We are ready to play in any type of circumstances,” Dos Santos said. “We worked the ball well and it was extraordinary to have the rain.”
The rain never dampened the spirits of the Mexico fans, who arrived hours early, dominated the announced crowd of 39,216 and kept up their cheers and taunts throughout the match.
“They made us feel like locals,” Herrera said, comparing the atmosphere with Mexico’s home stadium. “It felt a little bit like Azteca.”
Those cheers were sounding nervous as the game remained scoreless deep into the second half. Dos Santos had twice put the ball in the net in the first half only to have both efforts called back. He was ruled offside in the 11th minute and his header from a corner in the 29th was denied when referee Wilmar Roldan apparently called a foul in front of Itandje.
His work done, Peralta was taken off in the 74th minute for Hernandez, who nearly doubled Mexico’s lead minutes later. However, Hernandez misfired a volley and sent it over the net. While a tough shot, the miss punctuated Hernandez’ scoring drought. Peralta, on the other hand, is growing in confidence and keen to add to the gold medal he picked up with Mexico at the London Olympics.
“I want to score as many goals as possible, to take advantage of every opportunity that I get because I want to be a world champion again,” Peralta said.
Cameroon seldom tested Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa until forcing him to make a late victory-clinching save with a dive to his left to stop a header by Benjamin Moukandjo.
The save was yet another big payoff for Herrera, who started Ochoa after the goalkeeper had been a reserve at the last two World Cups.
At the final whistle, Herrera kneeled, crossed himself and pumped his right fist. Cameroon coach Volker Finke stood with his arms crossed, scowling as the rain dripped off his face.
For Cameroon, the lackluster performance will only magnify controversies back home over a player bonus pay dispute that delayed their arrival in Brazil, and will raise more questions about whether they are a fractured team.
The loss also leaves Cameroon needing a victory over group rival Croatia before closing first-round play against Brazil.
“We have five days to recover,” Finke said. “We will analyze this together because the match against Croatia is very important if we want to stay alive.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB