Yes it really is 'Olympic Way' and not 'Wembley Way'.
Two extra time goals, from Giovani Dos
Santos and Hector Herrera Rubio, sealed victory for Mexico over
Senegal to ensure their progress to the semi-finals of the Olympic
Games, in the best match of the football tournament so far.
Mexico will make their first semi-final
appearance in the football tournament since the Mexico City Olympics
in 1968.
Mexico had taken a two goal lead just
after the hour mark only to see an impressive Senegal team get
themselves back level with two goals in seven minutes through an
effective combination of speed, power, athleticism and direct, 'old
fashioned' football.
A Wembley crowd of 81,855 soaked up the
Olympic atmosphere from the steps of Wembley Park tube station,
during the walk up Olympic Way and throughout the match itself with
some impressive 'Mexican Waves'.
Pre-match entertainment Mexican style on Olympic Way
Many 'neutrals' in the crowd chose to adopt one of the two teams with plenty wearing stereo-typical Mexican ponchos, false moustaches and sombreros joining the many 'real' Mexican and Senegalese fans in the crowd proudly displaying their teams' national colours.
Pre-match entertainment Mexican style on Olympic Way
Many 'neutrals' in the crowd chose to adopt one of the two teams with plenty wearing stereo-typical Mexican ponchos, false moustaches and sombreros joining the many 'real' Mexican and Senegalese fans in the crowd proudly displaying their teams' national colours.
Mexican 'wrestler' helps display Mexico's flag on Olympic Way.
Burger vans adorned with various national flags.
Flags from other nations were on
display as well including USA, Canada and of course Great Britain; it
was a tremendous occasion.
London 2012 Olympic logo on the outside of Wembley Stadium.
There was a lively opening to the match and Marco Fabian nearly opened the scoring for the Mexicans within the first five minutes when he curled a right footed shot against the crossbar following some good work down the left hand side and some ponderous defending by Senegal in the penalty area by Moussa Konate.
Mexico's early pressure was rewarded
when they took the lead in the tenth minute of the match.
An in-swinging free kick with pace from
the right hand side by Tottenham Hotspur's Dos Santos was glanced in
to the goal by Jorge Enriquez who got ahead of the Senegalse defence.
Dos Santos prepares to deliver the free kick that leads to Mexico's opening goal by Enriquez.
Mexico dominated the first quarter of
the match and passed the ball around the lush Wembley turf with
confidence. They looked comfortable on the ball and played a slicker,
passing style of football compared to Senegal who showed flashes of
individual skill combined with powerful runs and crosses in to the
danger zone.
As the half progressed Senegal improved
and forced a couple of saves from the impressive over-age
Mexican goalkeeper Jose Corona who was excellent throughout behind an
occasionally suspect defence, especially against the aerial ball. For
Senegal Moussa Konate, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Diame all caught the
eye.
It was turning in to an open and
absorbing game of football, end-to-end entertainment for the Wembley
crowd some of whom were soaked and scattered to the concourses by a
sudden, very heavy rain shower during the first half.
For Mexico Oribe Peralta could have
extended their lead in the forty-second minute but he headed the ball
wide of the goal from a Fabian cross.
HT: Mexico 1-0 Senegal
A relatively quiet start to the second
half of the match gave few clues about the action to come. Senegal
certainly had the better of the early chances as they started to use
the width of the pitch and get more crosses in to the Mexican penalty
area.
It was a tactical ploy that clearly
played to the strengths of the African team and exploited some
obvious weaknesses in the Mexican defence.
In the fiftieth minute Cheikhou Kouyate
went close with a shot from outside of the penalty area he hit just
past the left-hand post.
A few moments later Pape N'Diaye Souare
should have scored when found himself unmarked at the far post but he
headed the ball from Zargo Toure's cross straight at Corona.
In the sixty-third minute, having
absorbed the African's pressure, Mexico found themselves two goals up
and the game looked to be all over with a semi-final place secured.
The busy Fabian punished some poor
Senegalese defending in their own penalty area with a tackle that set
up Oribe Peralta Morones . His shot was saved by the goalkeeper
Ousmane Mane but the ball fell loose for for Javier Aquino Carmona to
neatly tuck the ball away in the roof of the net with the side of his
right boot.
However, Senegal refused to go down
without a fight and picked their game up with some thrilling
attacking play that put the Mexican goal under pressure.
They pulled a goal back in the
sixty-eighth minute through Moussa Konate who headed home from a
superb cross by Pape N'Diaye Souare. In the seventy-sixth minute they
equalised with substitute Ibrahima
Balde out-jumping everyone to head home another superb cross
by Pape N'Diaye Souare, this time from a corner.
It had been a fantastic seven minutes
of attacking football at its very best and it thrilled the Wembley
crowd who sensed an upset as full time approached with the scores
level, although not before Mexico had one final opportunity to clinch
victory in injury time with Oribe Peralta Morones losing his marker
at the near post and flashing a header over the bar from a Dos Santos
cross.
FT: Mexico 2-2 Senegal
Following an intense looking briefing
from their coach, a reinvigorated Mexico started extra-time the
stronger team and created some good chances to score through Peralta,
Herrera and Fabian.
It was no surprise then when Mexico did
retake the lead through the excellent Dos Santos who punished a
defensive error by Papa Gueye and shot past the goalkeeper Mane in
the ninety-seventh minute.
Mexico finally secured victory in the
one hundred and eighth minute following a quick break after a Senegal
free-kick broke down.
With Senegal having players stranded at
the wrong end of the field, Mexico surged forward to chase down the
loose ball and put defender Abdoulaye Ba under pressure.
Ba's weak header back to the advancing
goalkeeper, who handled the ball outside of the box to stop Raul
Jimenez's initial effort, was eventually pounced on by Hector Herrera
Rubio who leapt and headed the ball into an empty net.
Extra Time: Mexico 4-2
Senegal
Match Highlights
The BBC website has highlights of the match. Click on the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19128205
Mexico: Jose Corona, Carlos
Salcido, Israel Sabdi Jiménez Nañez, Hiram Ricardo Mier Alanís,
Diego Reyes Rosales, Dárvin Chávez, Javier Aquino Carmona, Jorge
Enriquez Garcia, Oribe Peralta Morones, Giovani Dos Santos, Marco
Fabián de la Mora. Mexico Substitutes: Jose Rodriguez, Néstor
Vidrio, Nestor Araújo, Javier Cortés Granados, Hector Herrera
Rubio, Miguel Ponce and Raúl Jiménez.
Senegal: Ousmane Mane, Papa
Gueye, Zargo Toure, Pape N'Diaye Souare, Saliou Ciss, Abdoulaye ba,
Mohamed Diame, Sadio Mane, Cheikhou Kouyate, Kalidou Coulibaly Yero,
Moussa Konate. Senegal Substitutes: Papa
Demba Camara, Kara Mbodji, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Stephane Badji,
Ibrahima Seck, Magaye Gueye and Ibrahima Balde.
Substitutions
Hector Herrera Rubio for Javier Aquino
Carmona (75), Ibrahima Balde for Kalidou Coulibaly Yero (60), Miguel
Ponce for Marco Fabián de la Mora (100), Magaye Gueye for Saliou
Ciss (69), Raúl Jiménez for Oribe Peralta Morones (107) and Kara
Mbodji for Mohamed Diame (90).
Yellow Cards
Israel Sabdi Jiménez Nañez (74),
Kalidou Coulibaly Yero (50), Hector Herrera Rubio (102), Zargo Toure
(75), Pape N'Diaye Souare (82) and Abdoulaye ba (115).
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
(England)
Attendance: 81,855
Man Of The Match: many of the
match reports cited Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos as the MOTM. However,
I would have awarded it to the Mexican goalkeeper Jose Corona who
made a number of outstanding saves throughout the match.
Next Up: Mexico play Japan in
the Semi-Final at Wembley on Tuesday August 7th.
Post-match celebrations outside Wembley Stadium. The crowds queuing for Wembley Park Tube Station were thoroughly entertained by the jubilant Mexican supporters.
And another video of post-match celebrations by Mexico fans!
Reference Sources
Post-match celebrations outside Wembley Stadium. The crowds queuing for Wembley Park Tube Station were thoroughly entertained by the jubilant Mexican supporters.
And another video of post-match celebrations by Mexico fans!
Reference Sources
Herrera secures win
Observer/Guardian Match Report
African exit from Olympic football a
'big disappointment' by Osasu Obayiuwana BBC Africa Sport, Wembley
Giovani Dos Santos is improving with
every game in the Olympic football tournament — and so are Mexico's
medal chances.
Mexico U-23 vs Senegal U-23 Report
Pre- match activities on Olympic Way
Post-match celebrations
BBC match highlights
BlueThruAndThru
