One year on from Argentina vs Mexico at Qatar 2022: how do things look now for El Tri?

On November 26 last year, at the Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Mexico and Argentina met once again at the World Cup, in the second game of the group stage. This time around, the tension from both sides was pulsating all throughout the ground as results had already been poor.

The Mexican national team, coached by Argentine Gerardo Martino, had drawn their first game against Poland, a match marked by Guillermo Ochoa’s penalty save against Robert Lewandowski.

La Albiceleste, favourites to win the tournament, were coming off the back of a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their opener. That result meant their 37-game unbeaten record came to an end and doubts began to creep into the minds of the Argentines; if they lost their second game, they would practically say goodbye to the dream of the nation. With all that in mind, Italian referee Daniele Orsato blew for the ball to roll at 2:00 p.m. ET in the city of Lusail.

Argentina too strong for Mexico

In the first half, fear in the players’ eyes was clear to see and wobbly legs made them play cautiously. A free kick by Alexis Vega late in the second half was the closest El Tri came to taking the lead. Five minutes into the second half, Messi had his turn at a set piece but it sailed high over Ochoa’s goal.

Around the hour mark was when the castle fell. It was a complete defensive lapse by Mexico which allowed the Argentine captain to receive a pass from Di María in the last third of the field and his low, laser-guided effort flashed past Guillermo Ochoa. Enzo Fernández, just minutes from the end, completed the job with a goal into the far corner from the edge of the box.

Mexico end World Cup record

In the next fixture, against Saudi Arabia, Mexico arrived with their heads screwed on and in need a win to advance to the round of 16, but, given other results, the 2-1 victory was not enough. For the first time in 8 consecutive World Cup tournaments, Mexico did not make it out of the group stages.

Just days later, the then president of the FMF, Yon de Luisa, sat in front of the media to talk about a supposed plan to restructure the broken Mexican game, with the telescope fixed firmly on the 2026 World Cup which, it was revealed, would take place on home soil as well as the United States and Canada.

Diego Cocca, the two-time champion with Atlas, came to the rescue of a national team that was floating down the river with no paddle, but an instantly forgettable 7-game stint ended with a draw and a loss against the United States and he was soon on his way.

Jaime Lozano has led Mexico to a Gold Cup win and seems to have improved the mood in the camp, although the real tests are yet to come for El Tri.

The League didn’t listen to the changes the people wanted

A month earlier, Mikel Arriola, President of Liga MX, announced a number of changes to the domestic competition: the Play-In was created, which in practice functions as a playoff under a different name; relegation, which was clamoured for by the fans to promote competitiveness in the league, was once again conspicuous in its absence.

Executives and coaches have come and gone, but the changes that national football needs seem to be slow to come. A little less than two years before the Azteca Stadium became the first stadium in the world to inaugurate a World Cup three times, the outlook is uncertain for the National Team.