Mexico, the team that seeks to break the resistance of the fifth match: five facts to know about Argentina's second rival in the World Cup in Qatar

Chance wanted Argentina to cross paths with Mexico, one of the teams that won one of the three direct places that Concacaf gave for the World Cup in Qatar. They will meet on Saturday, November 26 at the Education City Stadium for the second round of group C that also includes Poland and Saudi Arabia.

Due to their position in the FIFA Ranking, Gerardo Martino's team began their participation in the third round of the contest and managed to overcome the obstacles that Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica and Costa Rica tried to put in it. That is, the Aztec team took out non-stop tickets to the international event together with Canada and the United States.

The record is favorable for the Albiceleste team, given that of the 31 matches, the South Americans won 15 times (the other 16 matches are divided into 12 draws and 4 defeats). He is an old acquaintance for the Venezuelan cast, since on three occasions he managed to prevail in the framework of the World Cup. The first time was in the 1930 group stage with a 6-3 win, while the other two occasions were in the knockout stages in Germany 2006 (2-1 in extra time with Maxi Rodriguez's memorable artwork) and South Africa 2010 (3-1 on a big night by Carlos Tevez).

The only times that Mexico managed to beat Argentina were in the 1967 friendlies (2-1), 1973 (2-0) and 1990 (2-0), while official competitions only have the record of the 2004 Copa América, in Peru, when Ricardo La Volpe's team defeated the representative 1-0 led by Marcelo Bielsa in the group stage.

1) The palate of Tata arrives complicated

Mexico achieved the goal of qualifying for the World Cup on the last date of the Concacaf Qualifiers. Under the direction of Gerardo Tata Martino, the Tri won one of the places for Qatar. However, the stage was austere for the Rosarino, who came close to leaving his position on the national team.

In the last matches that the Aztec team played at home, the fans have made the “Tata out” sound in the stadiums, so the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) analyzed the possibility to change the helmsman for the international event. The sports authorities proposed a variable that shook the continuity of the Tata era. A vote was even held to determine whether it was necessary to remove Martino before the start of the adventure through Qatar.

Those close to the Federation reported that every two years a balance is made of the results in order to know the performance and improvements of the national team. This year, this evaluation was carried out and many expressed their unease over Mexico's production.

In addition, Piojo Herrera works under the shadows with the desire to return to the national team. It would not be the first time that the current Tigres coach proposed himself as a possible substitute for Martino. On different occasions he has accepted his interest in redirecting the Mexican national team and before different media he has declared his enthusiasm to return to the Tri for what his previous stage meant.

2) His scoring card, Hirving Lozano

Hirving Lozano has become one of the main references in Mexican football abroad. Since his arrival at Napoli, his projection has had a more important boost and his qualities have caught the eye of the best clubs in the world. However, in the last year the striker has suffered several injuries that have forced him to move away from his professional activity.

The first of them, one of the most alarming, was during the Gold Cup dispute. In the debut against Trinidad and Tobago he suffered a shock that caused him a momentary faint. Months later he confessed that the impact could have caused him to lose his eye. The second was when he defended the colors of his club. A few weeks after returning to activity, in a duel corresponding to the Europa League, the Mexican starred in a scene very similar to the one he experienced in the Gold Cup. On this occasion, after slipping in the fight for the ball, he crashed the hip of Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City midfielder, and his recovery took more than a month.

Although he also missed some of the calls with the Mexican National Team, when he was willing to return to the courts his name was still considered by Gerardo Martino. His qualities and imbalance can make him one of the brightest players that will make up the squad that will attend the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

3) Rogelio Funes Mori's bet

When Argentinian Rogelio Funes Mori was authorized by FIFA to play for Mexico's national team, illusions were fueled by his goals. The former River's first participation in the Tata Martino team took place during the Gold Cup that was held in the United States.

The experienced 30-year-old scorer received authorization after the mother house of football verified that he had only had one presence on the Argentine national team in 2012 and had been in Aztec territory for more than five years.

Melli began his career at River Plate, then moved to Benfica in Portugal and before coming to Mexican football he had a stint at Eskişehirspor in Turkey.

In 2015 he arrived in Monterrey, where he played 194 matches and scored 99 goals. With the Rayados he won twice the Copa MX (2017 and 2019/20), the 2019 Apertura tournament and the 2019 Concacaf Champions League. Since his arrival in the national team, the fans' dream grew considerably.

4) The solvency of the Ochoa Memo

Francisco Guillermo Memo Ochoa Magaña was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, on July 13, 1985. With his 36 years old, he seeks to make history in Qatar. Throughout his 17 years as a professional footballer, the goalkeeper has stood out as one of the greatest exponents of football in his country. From a young age he showed talent and a magnetic personality that has earned him the love of the fans and his teammates.

It could be said that he has established himself as the best goalkeeper in Mexico and one of the undisputed leaders of the sport. In early 2004, then America coach Leo Beenhakker observed a match between the basic forces and realized the skills of a young 19-year-old Ochoa and decided to join him into the first team. Since then he has forged a remarkable career.

His performance caught the attention of the then technical director of the Mexican U-20 national team, Humberto Grondona, winning his first call to the national team. He was soon summoned to play for the Rest of the World national team in a friendly match against Iraq held in Milan, Italy, alongside world football figures such as Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri, Carles Puyol, David Beckham, Alessandro Nesta, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raúl Gonzalez and Javier Zanetti, among others.

With a long history in Europe, the Memo will seek to give the Mexican goal security to reach the goal of playing the fifth match. Which would mean an unprecedented event for their selection.

5) The mission of breaking barriers

With 16 presences in the history of the World Cup, Mexico has never been able to play more than 4 matches. Although their best productions came in the two editions they organized in 1970 and 1986, when with the support of their people they reached the quarterfinals, since USA'94 that the Aztecs have not been able to break the barrier of the round of 16. They have been 24 years of uninterrupted access to the second phase, but the farewell comes at the first crossing of the mata mata.

With the title of the 1999 Confederations Cup as the highest achievement, the lost finals corresponding to the 1993 and 2001 Copa América are a nostalgic memory of the struggle it can give to the powers. In addition, the 11 conquests in the Concacaf Gold Cup uphold the superiority they impose on their region. For the fans, it was time to strike the blow.