Mexico keep their hopes alive

The second fixture of Group A between Mexico and Cameroon was the first of the four games to be played at the Arena Das Dunas in the city of Natal. Despite heavy downpour, fans turned up in huge numbers to support their sides. A win for both was crucial, considering the fact that Brazil would be favourites to reserve one of the two spots for the knockouts.

First Half:

0-0The Mexicans got off to a steady start, pressing forward via Hector Herrera and right back, Paul Aguilar. The 11th minute saw an error by the linesman deny Hector Herrera and Mexico a well worked out goal. The forward was clearly onside and should have been granted his first goal of this World Cup. Nevertheless, Mexico continued to attack while Cameroon seemed content to sit back and wait for an opportunity to counter. They had their first chance in the 24th minute when they got the ball into the Mexican box, where a deflection could have helped Cameroon take the lead. Minutes later, another blatant error by the referee saw Dos Santos miss out on an opportunity to put Mexico in the lead. This time the ball was clearly off Cameroonian player Choupo Moting's head before Dos Santos took the final touch. Both sides went into the second half goalless, with the Mexicans frustrated by the bad decisions made by the match officials.

Second Half:

Dos Santos picked up from where he left to provide a deft touch that should have been converted by Miguel Layun. Meanwhile, Cameroon started to show some glimpses of hope via some good play by Assou Ekotto. However, the 61st minute saw Oribe Peralta put the Mexicans into the lead. A shot from Dos Santos rebounded off the Cameroon goalkeeper, while Peralta positioned himself well to provide a sublime finish. Nevertheless, the Mexican coach was aware of the fact that the solitary goal wasn't sufficient and bought on super sub, Javier Hernandez in place of Layun. The Manchester United forward started making some good runs, trying to create goal scoring opportunities. Realising the importance of a point, Cameroon started pressing forward for an equaliser creating some good chances in the final minutes of the game. Their persistence was nearly rewarded when a powerful header by Benjamin Moukandjo forced a brilliant save by Guillermo Ochoa, the Mexican goalkeeper. The closing seconds of the game saw a mistake by the Cameroon defender provide Hernandez a brilliant opportunity to seal the game, but he couldn't get the shot on target. 

Mexico managed to secure a well deserved victory and keep them in the race to qualify for the knockouts. Cameroon, on the other hand face an uphill task with their remaining two fixtures against Brazil and Croatia.