Every so often, Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio stopped and wrote something in his famous notebook. What he wrote in such a disjointed and languid friendly remains a mystery. Osorio might as well tear out all of the pages from this night as he prepares his squad list for the pair of World Cup qualifiers against Canada next month. This underwhelming 2-0 victory offered him only a couple of potential options capable of complicating the selection process.
Jesús Dueñas eventually punished Senegal for its profligacy and salvaged something from the night with his winner inside the final 20 minutes. Monterrey winger Candido Ramirez registered an immediate impact on his first cap with a sweeping cross from the left. Dueñas arrived at the perfect time and nodded home the winner to secure the expected result at Marlins Park. Rodolfo Pizarro nodded home the second from a pinpoint Hirving Lozano cross in the dying embers to erase all doubt about the final result.
It proved a justified outcome in terms of possession, if not on the balance of play in the first 70 minutes. Senegal -- despite a lack of international experience in its entirely domestic-based side -- looked more threatening for most of the night and squandered two presentable opportunities. Jesús Corona produced a fine block to deny Dame Gueye’s scuffed effort in the first half, while second-half substitute Ibrahima Diop screwed wastefully wide near the hour to squander a brisk move on the break.
Dueñas’ intervention and Pizarro's late second provided a respite for Osorio and his Liga MX-based players. This performance offered little threat to the European-based contingent expected to lead the efforts in the pair of World Cup qualifiers next month. There were few bright spots -- Pachuca starlet Lozano sparked to life occasionally on his first cap before supplying teammate Pizarro with his goal, while Pumas UNAM forward Eduardo Herrera forced a fine save with a downward header after the break -- amid all of the muddle. It left Osorio with few irrefutable cases to ponder as he firms up his squad for the dates in Vancouver (March 25) and Mexico City (March 29, live coverage on FS1).
There were signs of the toil ahead in the early stages. Senegal -- fresh off a victory over Mauritania in a closed-door friendly on Friday -- set out its stall carefully and trusted its pace on the counter to unsettle this makeshift Mexico side. The measure worked in large part given El Tri’s lack of incisiveness in possession and the evident discomfort of Nestor Araujo and Yasser Corona on the ball.
Queretaro defender Corona nearly cost El Tri the opener just before the hour by conceding possession inside his own half. He labored on the ball and watched Chérif Salif Sané take the ball off him in the process. Sané bounded forward and slid the ball across to the awaiting Gueye with the far post gaping. Gueye scuffed his effort just enough for veteran goalkeeper Corona to slide over to block.
It marked the only genuine chance in a half where Lozano offered some verve and most of his teammates toiled noticeably. The improvements arrived after the break after Osorio made three halftime changes -- including the introduction of Jose Arturo Rivas and Carlos Salcedo to address the issues in central defense and the insertion of Pachuca -- and his players started to use the wide areas more profitably.
Herrera spent most of the first half searching for service, but he nearly staked Mexico to the lead four minutes after the interval. Jorge Torres Nilo pushed forward on the left and whipped a tempting ball toward the near post. Herrera anticipated the delivery, moved into position and twisted his header toward the ground. Papa Seydou Ndiaye summoned a fine save to deny Herrera the opener.
The stop nearly paved the way for Senegal’s lead. Diop spurred yet another quick Senegal break and opted to retain the ball instead of slotting a teammate into a better position. His decision eventually warranted scrutiny after he dragged his effort well wide.
Mexico -- bolstered by its superior fitness and the willingness of Lozano and Pizarro to operate more frequently between the lines -- eventually engineered the breakthrough after 73 minutes.
Tigres UANL midfielder Dueñas -- one of the better performers on the night -- provided it with a timely run out of midfield. Ramirez marked the first few seconds of his Mexico career by delivering an enticing ball from the left. Dueñas caught the Senegal defense flat and nodded home the opener to send the match on its expected course.
Pachuca starlets Lozano and Pizarro confirmed the victory three minutes from the end. Lozano drifted out to the right and served a tempting cross toward the top of the goal area. Pizarro rounded off the move for his first international goal and sealed the victory.
The result mattered little on this night, though. Osorio took these players to Miami in search of reinforcements for his first team. He left with a handful of names in that notebook and a renewed appreciation for the players already at his disposal.
