Mexico completed a face-saving comeback against Uzbekistan…then fumbled it away

One normal El Tri game, that’s all we ask…will never happen

Oh, Mexico, when will it ever be easy for you?

When it comes to the men’s national team at least, the answer appears to be “who knows?” El Tri fell behind twice against Uzbekistan — fresh off of a 3-0 loss to the United States, and currently the 74th best in the world in FIFA’s rankings — before coming back to take a late lead.

Just when the job seemed done though, Mexico slipped up one more time, stumbling to a 3-3 draw on Tuesday.

Coming off of a match against Australia that required a late goal to pick up a 2-2 tie, Mexico couldn’t have started its clash with Uzbekistan off in a worse way. Bobur Abdikholikov was marked by two players, yet still rose up to plant a header beyond Memo Ochoa’s reach.

Raúl Jiménez had an immediate reply, getting El Tri level just three minutes later with a classic striker’s finish. Crisis averted everyone, Mexico is surely on track for a win.

Well…about that. The same sort of transition threat the Uzbeks posed against the U.S. men’s national team popped up again in Atlanta, only this time Mexico didn’t benefit from a miss or a timely save from its goalkeeper. Instead, with nearly the final kick of the first half, Azizbek Turgunboev fired the unfancied White Wolves back in front.

Mexico could hardly believe what was going on, as the game had been played nearly entirely in the Uzbek half. As the second half wore on, El Tri was staring at an embarrassing loss.

However, as has so often been the case, Jiménez popped up with a goal right when his side needed him, seizing on some miscommunication to beat several Uzbekistan players to a ball in the box.

A pro-Mexico crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium encouraged Mexico to find a winner, and it seemed like El Tri delivered in comical fashion. Jiménez went on a journey trying to find an opening for a shot against a scrambling Uzbek defense, only for his effort to eventually end up blocked.

Uzbekistan had their chance to escape, only for Uriel Antuna to pounce with a block of his own, with a disastrous clearance attempt caroming off the Cruz Azul winger and giving Mexico a 3-2 lead.

Whew! That was close. Good thing there’s no way this exhausted Uzbekistan team could have anything left in the tank, right?

Right guys?

Oh no.

Otabek Shukurov caught Ochoa leaning for a cross, tucking an angled free kick over the wall and just under the crossbar, giving Uzbekistan a shocking stoppage-time equalizer.

“It’s a bitter taste,” a deflated Santiago Giménez told TUDN after the match. “That’s the reality, because we had already earned the turnaround, I believe, with passion, with heart.”

Despite his brace, Jiménez wasn’t as ready to cut his side any slack.

“We have to be more self-critical and realize that we didn’t play a good game,” said the Fulham striker. “There are many aspects that we need to continue improving. Jimmy [Lozano]’s ideas are there, we just have to hone them well.”

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