Mexico, the host that will face Korea in the CONCACAF World Cup group stage, beat Ghana to build momentum. They secured a comfortable win with an early opening goal and a second-half insurance goal.
Mexico defeated Ghana 2-0 in a friendly held at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico, at 11 a.m. on the 23rd (Korea time).
Mexico seized the momentum from the start of the match. In the 2nd minute of the first half, Brian Gutiérrez opened the scoring with a powerful right-footed long-range shot. The shot from outside the box curled into the lower right corner of the goal.
Mexico continued to control the game afterward. In the 21st minute of the first half, Gilberto Mora's shot struck the post, and then Armando González had a shot, but both were denied by Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
Ghana also countered. In the 15th minute of the first half, Felix Afena-Gyan tried a right-footed shot on a counterattack, but it just missed the goal.
Mexico showed finishing once again after the break. In the 9th minute of the second half, Guillermo Martínez, who received a pass from Luis Romo, scored a second goal with a left-footed shot on a quick counter. The shot struck the upper left corner of the goal, widening the margin.
Ghana immediately created a chance to respond. In the 8th minute of the second half, Jesurun Rak-Saki's shot hit the crossbar, and earlier Felix Afena-Gyan's successive shots were saved by Mexico goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo.
Mexico then focused on game management by using numerous substitutions. Centered on Alexis Vega, Luis Chávez, and Roberto Alvarado, they continued to press in attack, and even in the late stages of the second half Luis Chávez produced a header to create another scoring chance.
Meanwhile, Ghana tried to chase until the late stages of the second half but ultimately could not break through Mexico's defense.
In the end, the match ended in a 2-0 victory for Mexico. With the CONCACAF World Cup approaching, Mexico raised morale at home with a steady performance. From Korea's perspective, it was a match worth noting ahead of their group-stage meeting.
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