New York City FC midfielder Yangel Herrera has led Venezuela to a dominant group-stage performance at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, as the Vinotinto defeated Mexico 1-0 on Friday to secure first place in Group B.
Venezuela are now 3-0 at the tournament with 10 goals scored and none conceded. Herrera has worn the captain’s armband in all three games and played every minute thus far.
Friday’s victory was delivered via a goal from Sergio Cordova, his fourth of the tournament. Cordova latched onto a through ball from Adalberto Penaranda and rounded El Tri goalkeeper Abraham Romero – a product of the LA Galaxy youth system – to score in the 33rd minute.
Despite the loss, Mexico still clinched advancement as the group’s second-place team thanks to superior goal differential on Germany, who edged the plucky Cinderellas from Vanuatu 3-2 and must wait to see whether they’ve done enough to advance as one of the top third-placed teams.
