Mexico’s final act of preparation for the 2022 World Cup didn’t go as anticipated, with the North American side slumping to a shock 2-1 defeat to Sweden.
Sweden were taking part in the friendly as part of their own international calendar, but they will not be at the World Cup, having fallen at the playoff round.
The European side were able to ride their luck en route to a victory on Wednesday, scoring with their only two shots on target.
Goals from Marcus Christer Rohden and Mattias Svanberg were the difference, even if the winner came just six minutes from time.
Mexico will feel encouraged despite the result
Irrespective of the defeat, Mexico dominated the game. They had 65% possession and managed 13 shots.
The midfield trio of Hector Herrera, Carlos Rodriguez and Luis Chavez looked very much in-tune with each other.
Mexico‘s performance was impressive, so it came as a shock when they fell behind to Rohden’s 54th minute strike.
It took just six minutes for El Tri to equalize, with their goal coming through Alexis Vega, who deputized on the left for Hirving Lozano.
As Mexico pushed for the winning goal, the team were caught on the break by Svanberg’s winner.
Whilst a blow on the night, a result in a friendly shouldn’t detract from what was a positive performance.
Mexico face a difficult challenge in Qatar
Mexico’s impressive display will be welcome ahead of the beginning of the World Cup.
El Tri have been drawn in a potentially difficult group with Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the team who eliminated Sweden in the playoffs, Poland.
Nobody is expecting Argentina to drop points, whilst few are expecting Saudi Arabia to earn any.
This would make the match between Mexico and Poland potentially decisive with regards to who takes second place in the group.
Mexico may have played Sweden off the park, but they couldn’t get the job done.
This may be a concern as they will likely have to beat a similar team in Poland once the World Cup begins.
