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.”
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner. On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams. MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For