Mexico’s El Tri pummels 2014 champion in World Cup Group F opener
The Mexico men’s national football team, nicknamed El Tri (The Tri), has stunned the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup title holder Germany in its Group F opener of the 21st edition of the quadrennial international football tournament in Russia.
On Sunday, footballers from both sides played with vigor and valor, and ran the ball towards each others’ goals but failed to score in the first 30 minutes of the first half of the fixture, which Iranian referee Alireza Faghani together with linesmen Reza Sokhandan and Mohammad Reza Mansouri adeptly officiated.
The Luzhniki Stadium in the Russian capital city of Moscow exploded with Mexico fans’ jubilation in the 34th minute when Mexico’s 30-year-old forward Hirving Lozano finished off a sweeping move to smash the ball low into the corner, and upset Die Mannschaft (The Mannschaft) and its supporters.
The Germans exerted more pressure afterwards and even came close to equalizing late in the half when a free kick by Toni Kroos was touched on to the bar by El Tri’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Die Mannschaft players almost constantly put their Mexican counterparts under pressure after the break, but were not successful to level.
German footballers’ poor finishing rarely threatened Ochoa as Mexicans grabbed their first win at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Five-time FIFA World Cup champion Brazil will take on Switzerland in the second Group E match later on Sunday.
During the official 2018 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony at Kremlin State Palace in the Russian capital city of Moscow on December 1 last year, the host nation, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay were put in Group A in the preliminary round of the tournament.
The Iran men's national football team, nicknamed Team Melli, has joined Portugal’s A Selecção, Spain’s La Furia Roja and Atlas Lions of Morocco.
France is drawn in Group C, and is pitted against Australia, Peru and Denmark.
Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria are drawn in Group D.
Group E consists of Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.
While the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion Germany, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea shape Group F, Belgium, Panama, Tunisia and England are in Group G.
Group H has Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 15. Russia opened the event against Saudi Arabia in a Group A fixture at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. The hosts won the match 5-0.
A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities.
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