Mexico cruised their way to a FIFA World Cup 2022 berth with a comfortable 2-0 victory over El Salvador and extended their unbeaten run to five successive games.
The hosts were massive favourites ahead of this match and quickly controlled the pace of the contest, while El Salvador looked downbeat in the opening stages. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise to see Mexico score the opener in the 17th minute. Alexis Vega sent a corner into the box and Néstor Araujo nodded at the keeper, but Uriel Antuna capitalised on the rebound to break the deadlock and mark his ninth goal for his nation.
The rest of the first half was rather one-sided, with Mexico dominating the contest and missing a few clear opportunities before Raúl Jiménez doubled the team’s lead in the 44th minute with a penalty. The Wolves striker converted from the spot following a foul on Antuna, and given how things unfolded, no one could be surprised by the hosts’ two-goal advantage at the break.
The flow didn’t change in the second half, with Mexico playing almost exclusively in El Salvador’s half, but their lack of accuracy and efficiency prevented them from adding more goals. Aside from half-chances for Jiménez and a long-range shot from Carlos Rodríguez, ‘El Tri’ didn’t create many clear-cut chances despite their total dominance.
El Salvador’s tame approach continued in the final 15 minutes of the contest, as the home side cruised their way towards an easy victory. With the win, Mexico ended their qualifying campaign in second place with 28 points, while El Salvador struggled to put up a fight for a World Cup place throughout, with tonight’s defeat seeing them fall to a seventh-placed finish.
