FIFA 2018: Mexican wave drowns Germany

Lozano celebrates. Pics/AFP

An inspired Mexico held on to beat defending champions Germany 1-0 in a stunning performance at the Luzhniki Stadium here. Man of the match Hirving Lozano scored the only goal of the game when he finished a Mexican break by drilling a low shot past Manuel Neuer but, in truth, this was a breathtaking team performance.

Germany struggle
Germany, on the other hand, took too long to get going and lacked the poise the rest of the world has grown accustomed to seeing on this stage. They have been battering teams in World Cup openers for as long as any of the players on this pitch could remember. Their last defeat in a first game was to Algeria in 1982, and since then they had averaged three and a half goals. But right from the first minute, or even right from the national anthems, it seemed this opener could be different.

Mexico's Hirving Lozano (centre) shoots past a couple of Germans to score

The Mexican media had talked up Lozano in the build-up and we saw why after about 30 seconds. Carlos Vela, who the Mexican media have been talking up for over a decade, found some space and slipped the ball to the onrushing Lozano, who cut inside and shot with his right. This time it was blocked. This time. Because it was a sequence of events that would become as regular as the Moscow Metro: one every five minutes.

Within 20 minutes, Neuer, the Golden Glove winner four years ago, had been given more chances to remind everyone of this than he could have hoped for, with Hector Herrera and West Ham's Javier Hernandez both testing him. But Germany were making chances, too, with Bayern's marauding right-back Joshua Kimmich putting Timo Werner in for a shot at goal and then creating panic with a fizzing cross.

Mexico composed
Mexico were the more composed side, though, and they also had speed and willing runners. It was noticeable that when Germany had a corner or attacking free-kick, Mexico left Hernandez, Lozano and sometimes right-winger Miguel Layun up the pitch. So when a German move broke down in the 35th minute, we had already seen four rehearsals of what happened next: Vela to Hernandez to Lozano to his right foot, and this time to the back of net, with Neuer beaten at his near post. The 22-year-old scored 19 in 34 games for PSV Eindhoven in the season just ended and this was his eighth in 29 for Mexico. Defenders should remember the name.

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