| EFE |
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| Jared Borgetti |
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09/JUL/2005 -After a great showing in the recent Confederations Cup, which
saw Mexico beat Brazil and tie Germany and Argentina, the team fell flat and
disappointed with a 1-2 loss to South Africa in the first round of Group C action.
Mexico committed several errors throughout the match, giving the impression
that it had underestimated its faster rival.
The Mexican squad had over 10 scoring chances against South Africa, but only
managed to convert one opportunity, a situation that may prompt a lineup shuffle
from coach Ricardo Lavolpe.
The defensive effort was also less-than-stellar for Mexico, allowing the South
Africans to take advantage of a disorganized back field to score two goals.
Guatemala lost to Mexico 2-0 at home in a World Cup qualifier last month, so
Mexico will need to repeat that performance if it wants to advance to the next
round of the tournament.
After one round of play, South Africa and Jamaica are sitting atop Group C
with three points each, while Guatemala and Mexico languish at the bottom with
no points.
While the winner of the South Africa-Jamaica game will surely advance to the
next round, Mexico and Guatemala will need a win Sunday if they hope to make
it.
Guatemala, for its part, fell 3-4 to Jamaica in the opening round, giving up
two goals in less than four minutes and squandering a hat trick from Carlos
Ruiz, who pulled off the feat in 14 minutes.
Guatemala coach Ramon Madariaga's tactical scheme will center on a disciplined
and organized offense, while his defensive focus will be on neutralizing Mexican
star forward Jared Borgetti.
Tentative lineups:
Mexico: Moises Muñoz, Hector Altamirano, Francisco Rodriguez, Ricardo
Osorio, Carlos Salcido, Gonzalo Pineda, Luis Perez, Antonio Naelson "Zinha",
Alberto Medina, Omar Bravo and Jared Borgetti. Coach: Ricardo Lavolpe.
Guatemala: Luis Pedro Molina, Nelson Noel Morales, Pablo Sebastian Melgar,
Gustavo Cabrera, Fredy Thompson, Gonzalo Romero, Edwin Villatoro, Guillermo
Ramirez, Elmer Ponciano, Carlos Ruiz, Angel Sanabria. Coach: Ramon Madariaga.
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