Mexican Elated After Historic Triumph
The seventh day of the football world cup was easily the most pulsating. Full of action, drama and the yet elusive goals as Argentina, Greece and Mexico prevailed over their opposition, producing some stunning goals.
The last match of the day saw the 1998 champions, and finalists from the last edition France go down to Mexico for the first time in their history which has seen their hopes of reaching the next round hanging by the thread.
The Mexicans were ecstatic after their historic triumph that has derailed the progress of Les Bleus putting them at the brink of elimination, as early as the first round of the tournament.
The first goal came via substitute forward Javier Hernandez who got through an offside trap, before making inroads into the box unchallenged and finding his way past French keeper Hugo Lloris to put his team ahead in the 64th minute.
The fate of the French was sealed when veteran forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco doubled the advantage from a penalty kick ten minutes from time after Pablo Barrera was brought down by Eric Abidal.
The Les Blues have only one point from two games, and face hosts South Africa in their final pool game next week.Even a win against the Bafana Bafana might not be enough for them to qualify, and redeem themselves after their Euro 2008 flop.
Uruguay and Mexico, who are perched at the top of the group standings in group A with four points each, will qualify if they draw next week, eliminating the hosts and Les Blues, both on one point.
Meanwhile outside the venue of the match Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, French fans were stunned, and laid the blame on the failure of their team to play as a unit.
"It's not about the team that has won (Mexico), it's about France that has lost because they played so badly tonight. Basically they haven't shown their colours," said French fan Cedric.
"Our team (France) didn't play very well, especially the mid-fielders. We hope that in the next match they will do better. Especially Sidney Govou didn't play so well. We were expecting to see (Thierry) Henry but Henry was never put on the field," added another dejected fan.
On the other hand the Mexicans had every reason to celebrate, they outnumbered the French fans and made most of the noise in the stadium.
Their team’s win has given them hope that they will win the group and progress into the knock-out stage of the World Cup tournament.
"It was great. Chicharito (Javier Hernandez) is the best. We won 2-0, and we are also going to win against Uruguay. We will win against Uruguay, and we will reach the first place," said one Mexican fan, dancing in joy after his team’s famous win.
"It feels incredible to have won. It's a wonderful experience. We Mexicans are the best. The truth is that I feel very excited that we have won, very much. And this really astounds me," were the feelings of another passionate fan.
The match clearly belonged to the Central Americans who created opportunities throughout the game, and possessed the ball at crucial junctures.
After a limp performance in the first half, the French team seemingly torn apart due to their differences with each other and their controversial coach Domenech. The Les Blues only got worse in the second half, creating only a couple of meaningful opportunities.
The writing is on the wall for them and only a special effort can now redeem their campaign, but most French fans have little hope in their coach and the squad that have been anything but inspirational lately.
The French have frustrated their fans with uninspiring performances for years; and can expect another stiff challenge against South Africa next Tuesday in Bloemfontein.
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