Posted on 10/12/2013 10:47:30 AM PDT by BeadCounter
(AP) -- Mexico needed a spectacular Raul Jimenez goal in the 85th minute to beat Panama 2-1 on Friday and revive its hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
The result moved Mexico into fourth place in CONCACAF qualifying, three points ahead of Panama and three points behind third-placed Honduras with one game to play.
The top three teams qualify automatically for the World Cup, while the fourth team faces an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand.
In the last round of games, Honduras is away to already-eliminated Jamaica and needs only a draw to secure a World Cup berth, while Mexico is away to Costa Rica and Panama hosts the United States. Both Costa Rica and the U.S. have already qualified for Brazil 2014.
Mexico went ahead in the 40th minute through Oribe Peralta's goal off a pass from Javier Hernandez, who missed a chance to double that lead from the penalty spot in the 58th.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
I must’ve been watching baseball because I did not see it.
I had to watch it on the Spanish language channel, I wish Fox Soccer still was in full force, they would re-air games all the time.
By the way, Panama is a big baseball nation so this ties in. I believe that is so. I think Honduras actually is too.
ESPN News showed it here but I only saw the post-match commentary.
Australia has Cahill and Lucas Neill, I wonder if there was a player rebellion because at the least, those are good players for that team to have been trounced so badly at the Parc de Princes in Paris and Australia is already qualified to go to the World Cup.
Egypt has a team challenging to represent Africa for the first time since 1990 and what happens? The Arab spring.
Looks like FIFA is compelling them to make sure any games played there are secure, sounds like they have playoff games vs. Ghana.
The game in Egypt is November 19th, 2nd leg.
http://us.soccerway.com/teams/egypt/egypt/658/
“Egypt must provide FIFA with security guarantees before they will be allowed to host the World Cup play-off second leg with Ghana in Cairo.
As political and social unrest continues to destabilise the North African country, concerns have been raised over the suitability of Cairo as a venue for the deciding leg of the play-off on November 19 - with the Ghana FA asking this week for the game to be moved to a neutral location.”
Ghana’s been good in recent years, I go with the Ghana FA, move it to a neutral location. Not only the turmoil in Egypt but Egypt has had problems at soccer games with violence though to me it’s an offshoot from their politics, a place to vent.
And just repeating what many of us know, former USA coach Bob Bradley manages Egypt.
Fortunately for Mexico, I know the US has too much class to do that.
Thanks for your message, just saw it this morning.
The thing is, is Panama isn’t a bad international squad, the’ve been runnersup in two relatively recent CONCACAF Gold Cups:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONCACAF_Gold_Cup , 2005 and 2013.
Also: http://eloratings.net/Panama.htm
Panama defeated USA in June 2011 in the USA, a loss in the Gold Cup that was avenged in the final. So, Panama is not a pushover. Costa Rica is no pushover for Mexico.
Though Costa Rica and USA don’t have a whole lot to play for, unless I see them sending in their 2nd stringers and one might want to protect the top players anyway, I’d think both will make a game effort, Costa Rica doesn’t like Mexico either, we’re playing away to Panama and lost the last time in Central America to Costa Rica fairly badly, 3-1.
Glad I was able to answer that post because this gives me a chance to just say (unrelated),
At times, I really think our former coach Bob Bradley should get out of Egypt, look at those guards in the picture here: http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/football/2013/10/bradley-ready-next-egyptian-challenge-20131015132651610582.html
Good luck to him, an Egyptian coach was shot at and thankfully not hit in Libya: http://www.worldsoccer.com/247/coach-shot-libya
And I agree with Ghana, they should not play a play-off game in Egypt, no way, fans could hardly travel there and feel safe.
Leg 1 is in Ghana today: http://us.soccerway.com/matches/2013/10/15/africa/wc-qualifying-africa/ghana/egypt/1593329/?ICID=HP_MS_01_01
The 2nd leg is scheduled for Egypt in November.
Even Libyan and Egyptian and Egyptian and Algerian fans have skirmished there, in fact, last World Cup, the bus carrying the Algerian team was stoned in Egypt and some players got bloodied though no significant injuries.
27th minute: http://us.soccerway.com/matches/2013/10/15/africa/wc-qualifying-africa/ghana/egypt/1593329/?ICID=HP_MS_01_01
Ghana 2 0 Egypt, may be academic to talk about the 2nd leg. Lots of soccer to go though.
Costa Rica scores, Panama scores.
27th minute:
Panama 1 0 USA
Costa Rica 1 0 Mexico
Okay, last of my commentary, Mexico drew it up, 1-1, 32nd minute, last I’ll say about this until the dust settles. Don’t want to mislead anyone.
5 minutes of regulation time,
Panama 2 1 USA
Costa 2 1 Mexico
Mexico facing elimination from the World Cup, minutes....
(Live Feed of play by play http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=1409590&_teamtype=default )
USA scores 2 in extra time, looks like USA saves Mexico’s hides.
This upsets me immensely, it was so close for Panama to advance to the playoffs, Mexico may lose but USA is going to win or draw, Panama out, Mexico to play New Zealand. Drat!
I know, talk about mixed emotions....Mexico was dead....Why? US? Why?
Oh well, Go New Zealand.
Very upsetting, the rest of the day went well though,
England winning, most of the other games.
Can’t believe it, USA must have scored 2 times in added extra time to break the Panamanians hearts.
Honduras gets third and qualifies for Brazil.
I just hope our boys get out of the stadium and country okay, the crowd must have been stunned. Unbelievable turn of events. Drat!
Incredible results! I’m actually proud of the US for the effort they showed considering the circumstances. I can’t help thinking were the roles reversed, no other team would show athe effort and, yes, integrity, that we showed.
We were playing a lot of second stringers. Panama’s defense collapsed at the end of the game.
Australia, England, Canada, I’d wager they would show integrity too, possibly some others.
Of course they showed the effort. For most of the players, this was their only chance to make an impression on Klinsmann to be on the squad for Brazil.
Maybe the US didn’t have anything on the line, but for the players, EVERYTHING was on the line for them.
You get situations where teams don’t deserve to advance to the World Cup, Mexico and Panama probably are those kinds of teams. I do hope the Kiwis, New Zealand defeat Mexico and NZ should win. Mexico could not win to save itself last night.
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