Brazil (Agencies): Luck wasn’t on Mexico’s side. But Giovanni Dos Santos and Oribe Peralta were, and that was enough for El Tri to claim a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in both teams’ World Cup opener.
Dos Santos capped a terrific, inventive display by finding space at the top of the Cameroonian penalty area in the 61st minute and firing at goalkeeper Charles Itandje. The shot was saved, but Peralta swept the rebound into the net to give Mexico a one-goal lead they would not relinquish.
Nearly any observer would agree Mexico deserved to take the lead far earlier in the match. Twice in the first half, Dos Santos put the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for offsides — and replays showed that both decisions on the part of the linesman were incorrect.
But Mexico also deserved its lead on the balance of play, proving creative in attack and with Dos Santos and Miguel Layun consistently testing the Cameroonian defense. The Indomitable Lions barely had a sniff of the ball in the opening half-hour, and didn’t begin to apply any real pressure to Rafa Marquez and the Mexican back line until after the goal.
Samuel Eto’o did have one viable first-half chance, narrowly missing the top corner after being picked out by lively left back Benoit Assou-Ekotto. Assou Ekotto was also at the center of two of Cameroon’s best second-half opportunities, seeing a deflected free kick fly just wide of Guillermo Ochoa’s goal and his late cross headed on goal by Benjamin Moukando, only for Ochoa to make a flying save.
If advancement comes down to goal differential, Mexico could rue a late miss by Chicharito Hernandez when presented with an open volley opportunity from no more than 5 yards. But the result nonetheless puts them in the catbird seat for now — and after the linesman’s mistakes in the first half, that’s a position they’ll happily take.
