Copa America 2024: Mexico fans at State Farm Stadium
Mexico’s fans outnumbered those of Ecuador, but not by as much as one might have imagined on Sunday at the Copa America match at State Farm Stadium.
Mexico had chance after chance to score for a large part of the second half, but could not find a goal to defeat Ecuador in the teams’ Copa America match Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
The final score was 0-0, and Ecuador, with a standings tiebreaker in its favor, advanced to the Copa America quarterfinals to face Group A winner Argentina July 4 in Houston. Mexico was sent home, another disappointing result for its national team.
The largely pro-Mexican crowd of 62,656 implored “El Tri” to find a goal in the second half, and Mexico was very close several times, including a moment where a penalty kick was not called after what looked like a takedown in the Ecuador box. There also appeared to be a handball, or at least a close call for one, in stoppage time that would have given Mexico a penalty kick.
But the biggest near-goal moment for Mexico came in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time, when the referee called a foul on Ecuador defender Felix Torres in the box and gave Mexico a penalty kick. The play went to video review and was overturned when replays showed that Torres touched the ball before sweeping the Mexico forward Guillermo Martinez’s leg.
“It’s officiating, right?” Mexico head coach Jaime Lozano said in Spanish afterward. “I didn’t like it very much. I guess the officiating and VAR (video reviews) weren’t enough.”
Lozano was pleased with how his team played defensively and satisfied with his players’ effort, though Mexico managed just one goal in three Copa America matches.
“I liked what I saw, even if the results weren’t there,” he said. “We have to keep working on the offensive part because we needed goals.”
Ecuador, which did all it could to waste time and had only a handful of good scoring opportunities, was able to survive the final moments and win.
“After one game (in Copa America) with so many things against us, we turned things around to qualify. It was really hard but we’re very satisfied with this step we took,” said Ecuador head coach Felix Sanchez, who then addressed facing Argentina and its roster of stars next.
“It’s another final, every game has been a final, and we now look forward to facing the best team in the world.”
The next Copa America match at State Farm Stadium is a quarterfinal, which most likely will include two of these teams: Colombia, Brazil, Panama or the United States.
Halftime update: Ecuador holds quarterfinal spot over Mexico
At halftime in Sunday’s Copa America Group B match at State Farm Stadium, Mexico and Ecuador are locked in a scoreless draw.
Mexico had perhaps the best chance at a goal. A misplayed ball in the box allowed Mexico’s Julian Quiñones to center a pass to teammate Santiago Gimenez, whose header went over the top of the goal just before the halftime whistle.
Mexico has played well at both ends, but several of its shots have been blocked by Ecuador even though the South American side hasn’t threatened much on offense.
Mexico has to play with a greater sense of urgency to score a goal. A draw of any kind will not send them to the next round, and if Ecuador scores, Mexico will need two goals to move on.
The crowd, at least many Mexico fans, sang along to the classic Mexican song “El Rey” at halftime. Ecuador is only one half away from moving on to the quarterfinals if it can avoid defeat.
Setting the scene at Mexico-Ecuador Copa America group stage match
Many signs pointed to an overwhelming amount of Mexico green (or black, white, red and a combination of black and red) in the seats at State Farm Stadium Sunday for the Mexico-Ecuador Copa America group stage match.
More Mexico fans attended, for sure. The Phoenix area has long been a preferred destination for Mexican national team matches and Mexico fans can make the drive from other high-Mexican and Mexican American population towns in Southern California and Las Vegas.
But there was plenty of yellow and blue in the crowd, too, the primary colors of Ecuador. And with a high number of Ecuador soccer fans in the seats, it made for a festive atmosphere at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
New Jersey resident Richy Castro, also known as the “Total Sign Guy,” was in attendance holding a sign asking for fans to send a text to a specific number to get their messages seen on TV or on the stadium big screen.
“We’re getting in conversations with everybody, just getting their opinions on what (their teams) need to do to win, what their guess is as to who (what team) is going to win Copa America, what the results are going to be,” Castro said.
On the main concourse inside State Farm Stadium, chants spontaneously broke out in support of each team. When the match started, Ecuador got its first chance for a goal in the seventh minute after a foul just above the 18-yard box, but couldn’t convert.
Both teams were in need of a win to guarantee advancement to the quarterfinals, which added to the intensity on the field. A draw would send Ecuador through to the knockout round based on a tiebreaker scenario and eliminate Mexico.
Source link : https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/soccer/2024/06/30/copa-america-2024-can-mexico-win-important-home-game-in-arizona-vs-ecuador/74248620007/
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Publish date : 2024-06-30 20:37:12
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