Mexico v. New Zealand 2-0 3/Mar/10

David Villa scored the first as France were battered at home.
[Photo: Benoît Tessier/Reuters via Guardian]


It took over a year here at the blog to review the last International friendly, and this time, in the preview of the World Cup, we found ourselves merged in what some call a "dreadful interlull" but for me, a delightful paradise of eternal football bliss. And in what better fashion could we celebrate the final countdown to the summer's tournament with nearly one hundred days to go. Some credit has to be given to the extraordinary effort that Paco Villa has been putting in Televisa Deportes' site, especially with the fantastic Retro World Cup. One hundred fully-digitised original broadcasts of the best classic 100 World Cup matches of the history.



Crouch came from the bench to beat Egypt with a brace
[Photo: Telegraph]

In other news, our watch for Mexico's rivals is in hot pursue. France were royally annihilated by a powerful team of Spain. With goals from David Villa and Sergio Ramos, the head of Raymond Domenech hangs by a thread, even within months of the tournament's start. Though, their second kit is gorgeous.

Here at Deviations, I assume that by early May (middle June) I will have updated all the Arsenal matches. I am battling through with it, watching some delayed matches. I will not make a preview, rather you could find a useful or I will recommend some; instead I will make a quick survey and fully inform you on a daily basis of the gossip and etc. Each game will be properly reviewed since I have prepared for the last three years for this event. I find utterly hilarious that I finished high school exactly the day Germany played Costa Rica and that this time, I will finish my undergrad course four years after, in a similar fashion of football. And they say that football does not domain lives?



Hernández scores the first? of the night.
[Photo: Televisa Deportes]


The match began with some fresh faces in Mexico's squad: Monterrey striker De Nigris as well as the two Dos Santos brothers and Luis Michel, Guadalajara keeper. The Mexicans began the game with a set full of variants, mainly with Guardado and Giovani in each flank providing some speed and crosses. While the New Zelanders defended fiercely, there was an exact effort by the Mexican's to prove Americans and Paisanos what is the team up to.
Instead the "home" team attacked mainly through overlaps and crosses.
In one occasion, Jonathan Dos Santos managed to stroke the ball with a powerful volley that moved the framework of the crossbar. Within ten minutes to end the first half, the could not convert any chances created. That would have to wait until the next half.



Aguirre and Márquez finishing details.
[Photo: Saúl Molina via Récord]


And it was Hernández who headed a beautiful cross from Salcido that gave the lead to the Mexicans. The way the striker jumped and managed to stay up before striking the ball was superb. Not even five minutes from the first the second arrived: Arsenal's number 12 ran past two defenders and moved with easiness the third to pull a Zidane-esque effort and give Mexico the two goal lead.
After some substitutions were made the match entered into a strange zone were neither team made any proper judgement to pursue one or another goal. In that way the match ended with a devastated visitor against a merely brilliant Mexican team.