Mexico pulled out the surprised of the tournament after defeating Argentina on a PK shootout (5-4) after a 2-2 tie in the Round of 32. Mexico came into the match as the lowest ranked team of all 32 with
only 3 points while Argentina was the best ranked team with 9 points out of 9. Argentina was the superior side in the 1st half but Mexico had the best minutes of the tournament in the 2nd half although it was still only a tie that led to a PK shootout. In the shootout, Mexico scored all their PKs while Argentina missed their first and Mexico was able to get to the next round, taking a little vengeance after Argentina had left Mexico out of the 2025 U20 World Cup in October. Mexico will face off against Portugal in the Round of 16 in an extremely tough match especially since Mexico will have some suspended players missing the match.
The 1st half started with the return of Luis Gamboa and Aldo Denigris Jr to the starting 11. As expected, once the match started it was Argentina who controlled possession while Mexico sat back. Off a corner kick, Argentina would surprise with Felipe Esquivel getting off a pass to a wide open Ramiro Tulian, who would get off a great right footed shot past Mexico’s goalkeeper, Santiago Lopez, to score and give Argentina the 1-0 lead. A throw in into the area would get into the area and force Argentina’s goalkeeper, Alber Castelau, to get off his line and almost have it go over him before grabbing the ball. A cross into the area was badly cleared by Lopez and the ball was left there for Santiago Espindola to head it past him but Felix Contreras would clear the ball off the line. A strong cross from Misael Zalazar would force Lopez to make the save to get to the ball. A cross into the area was deflected by Contreras, just wide of an own goal. A right footed shot from outside the are by Tulian would go wide. Mexico subbed out Kenneth Martinez for Karin Hernandez. After a ball was crossed into the area, Espindola would get to it and get off a right footed shot that forced a save from Lopez. A thru pass from Gael Garcia had Gamboa getting into the area but his 1 vs 1 shot was blocked by Castelau and also called off side. A cross into the area was volleyed in the air by Espindola but his shot went just wide. A throw in into the area was headed just wide by Denigris Jr. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area by Ian Olvera would be miraculously saved by Castelau and then hit the post. Argentina would take their lead to halftime although Mexico had improved in the final minutes of the half.
The 2nd half started with no teams making changes during the halftime break. Less than a minute into the half, a cross from Olvera would get into the area where a wide open Luis Gamboa would head the ball from close range past Castelau and into the net to score and tie the match at 1-1. It was a great goal that surprised Argentina and would change the outlook of the match. After getting into the area, Gamboa got off a right footed shot that went just wide. Argentina subbed out Alejandro Tello and Felipe Pujol for Uriel Ojeda and Jeronimo Gomez Mattar. Mexico subbed out Iñigo Borgio for Adrian Villa. Off a free kick, a cross into the area was headed by Olvera into the area, where a wide open Luis Gamboa got off a left footed shot past Castelau to score and give Mexico the 2-1 lead. Although Argentina asked for an offside, after going to VAR, the goal stood. Argentina would sub out Ramiro Tulian and Thomas De Martis for Facundo Jainikoski and Mathias Bouhier. After getting the ball in the area, Jainikoski got off a left footed shot that went just wide. Mexico subbed out Luis Gamboa, Aldo Denigris Jr and Gael Garcia for Jorge Sanchez, Juan Ignacio Lopez and Humberto Mancilla. Argentina subbed out Felipe Esquivel for Can Guner. Argentina kept trying for that tying goal although Mexico was doing a good job of handling them. A cross into the area would fall to Ignacio Lopez but his shot went wide. A cross into the area was misjudged by Lopez and it was headed by Fernado Cluster into the empty net to score and tie the match at 2-2. It was a bad mistake by Lopez and although the ref would go to VAR for a possible handball but the goal stood. A shot from outside the area by Sanchez would go wide. The final whistle blew and the 2-2 tie meant that we would be going to a Penalty Kick shootout.
Argentina would open the PK shootout with Gaston Bouhier taking the PK and his left footed shot would be saved by Lopez. Oscar Pineda would take the first Mexican PK and shoot it past Castelau to give Mexico the 1-0 lead. Jeronimo Gomez Mattar took the next PK and would score it past Lopez to tie the shootout at 1-1. Humberto Mancilla was up next and he would easily get a right footed shot in the net to give Mexico the 2-1 lead. Fernando Closter would get off a right footed shot that hit the post but would bounce off the leg of Lopez to score and tie the shootout at 2-2. Karin Hernandez would step up to take the next PK and his right footed went past Castelau to give Mexico the 3-2 lead. Matias Satas would get off a left footed shot that went just under the arm of Lopez to tie the shootout at 3-3. Juan Ignacio Lopez would be next for Mexico and his strong right footed shot was a no doubter to once again give Mexico the 4-3 lead. Facundo Jainikoski would be next and his right footed shot would go in and once again tie the shootout at 4-4. Goalkeeper Santiago Lopez would step up take the next PK and his right footed shot would fool Castelau to score and give Mexico the winning PK at 5-4 and the ticket to the Round of 16.
Goalkeeper Santiago Lopez went from goat to hero in a historic match as Mexico made the surprise of the Round of 32 by knocking out favorites Argentina. Lopez had made a mistake that let to the tying last goal for Argentina but in the PK shootout he would make a save and score the clinching PK. Mexico once again struggled with a poor 1st half but played their best half of the tournament in the 2nd to get a deserving tie. In the PK shootout they were then able to get off a great series of PKs to defeat Argentina. The U17 category once again proves to be the one age category where Mexico is able to overcome and defeat Argentina as they get their third straight victory in a U17 World Cup (although technically this game counts as a tie). Mexico will now have to face off in the Round of 16 against Portugal in an extremely tough match. Not only would Portugal be favored for what they had done in the tournament but Mexico will be without Felix Contreras, Gael Garcia and Humberto Mancilla, who all would be suspended for Yellow card accumulation. Still for now, Mexico had made a great step in their history as they once again have another moment in a U17 World Cup competition, the tournament were Mexico has been historically the most successful.
