🏆⚽ Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 1 - 2 Mexico 🇲🇽
Mexico players celebrate after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the World Cup, November 30, 2022.
Mexico scored twice in five second-half minutes in a last-ditch effort to stay in the World Cup on Wednesday, beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 but agonizingly missing out on the last 16 on goal difference.
Goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez soon after the interval catapulted Mexico back into contention, but a string of superb saves by Saudi keeper Mohamed Al-Owais and two disallowed efforts denied them the elusive goal they needed to advance.
The match went down to the wire and at one point looked like Mexico would miss out to Group C rivals Poland by virtue of having accrued more yellow cards, but Saudi striker Salem Al-Dawsari netted in stoppage time to make goal difference the decider.
Mexico's exit ended a run of seven successive last-16 appearances at the World Cup and defeat for Saudi Arabia killed off what had looked to be a realistic chance of advancing from the group stages for the first time in 28 years.
Having failed to score in their opening two Group C matches, Mexico's chances of progressing had looked slim going into the match, hinging on the outcome of the game between Argentina and Poland which Argentina won 2-0 to top the group.
Mexico scored twice in five second-half minutes in a last-ditch effort to stay in the World Cup on Wednesday, beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 but agonizingly missing out on the last 16 on goal difference.
Goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez catapulted Mexico back into contention, but a string of superb saves by Saudi keeper Mohamed Al-Owais and two disallowed efforts denied them the elusive goal they needed to advance.
The match went down to the wire and at one point looked like Mexico would miss out to Group C rivals Poland by virtue of having accrued more yellow cards, but Saudi striker Salem Al-Dawsari netted in stoppage time to make goal difference the decider.
Mexico's exit ended a run of seven successive last-16 appearances at the World Cup, and defeat for Saudi Arabia killed off what had looked to be a realistic chance of advancing from the group stages for the first time in 28 years.
Having failed to score in their opening two Group C matches, Mexico's chances of progressing had looked slim going into the match, hinging on the outcome of the game between Argentina and Poland, which Argentina won, 2-0, to top the group.
(Reuters)