An organized defense and three star substitutes led Mexico to a 2-0 victory over an ailing France to get the three points it so desperately needed.
Javier Hernández scored the first goal while Cuauhtémoc Blanco buried a penalty kick for the second.
Mexico came out guns blazing right from the start, making their intentions clear that they would not settle for a draw, and France’s problems with communication on the pitch continued were evident once again.
Although France had a few chances at goal, Mexico thoroughly outplayed Les Bleus and set the tone of the game early on.
El Tri’s first chance at goal came in the 8th minute. As Les Bleus pressed forward, Mexico’s Rafael Márquez came up with the ball and chipped it over the French defenders and onto Carlos Vela, who first-timed it off the bounce and sent over the cross bar.
France’s best chance of the half came by way of Florent Malouda in the 11th minute. The left winger made a run on the left side of the box and crossed a low ball, but no one was there to meet it as it rolled away from the danger zone.
Mexico’s best threat in the half was Carlos Salcido. In the 18th minute, the left back unleashed a shot that went just wide of the right post. Nine minutes later, he nutmegged French defender Bacary Sagna and cut in from the left flank, but his shot was turned aside by Lloris.
In the second half, France came out looking for the goal. In the 53rd minute, Malouda unleashed a right footer that was deflected by goalkeeper Óscar Pérez. Two minutes later, Franck Ribéry also tried his luck, but his blast was turned aside for a corner.
Mexico took a while to get going in the complement, but when they did, they struck gold. In the 64th minute, after winning the ball in the midfield, Márquez chipped the ball over the defense and onto a barely-onside Javier Hernández. The forward, who had come into the game nine minutes earlier, then faked out Lloris on a one-on-one to easily bury the ball in the back of the net to score his first goal in the World Cup.
France didn’t seem in a hurry to equalize, and Mexico took advantage of Les Bleus indifference
In the 78th minute, Pablo Barrera, who had come on for Vela in the 30th minute, made an inspiring run down the right flank and was tripped inside the box by Abidal. Blanco took the resulting penalty and placed it past a diving Lloris’ to give Mexico a two-goal cushion.
With the victory, Mexico now share the lead of Group A with Uruguay. The two teams will face each other on Tuesday, June 22.
France, on the other hand, are tied with South Africa with one point. They will play each other also on June 22.
Scoring:
MEX – Hernández, 64’
MEX – Blanco, 79’
Lineups:
Mexico – Perez; Salcido, Moreno, RodrÃguez, Osorio; Torrado, Márquez, Juárez (Hernández, 55’); Vela (Barrera, 32’), Franco (Blanco, 62’), Dos Santos
France – Lloris; Evra, Abidal, Galas, Sagna; Abou Diaby, Toulalan; Malouda, Ribéry, Govou (Valbuena, 69’); Anelka (Gignac, 46’)
