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Mexico and Poland played out a goalless draw in the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Stadium 974 in Doha on Tuesday, November 22. The result has now thrown Group C wide open, with Saudi Arabia leading the pack after one game week.
The Mexicans entered this contest on the back of a mixed run of form. They won two and lost three of their last five games across competitions. While they kept two clean sheets in two wins, they also failed to score in one defeat, highlighting the inconsistencies.
Poland, on the other hand, entered this game on the back of two wins, two losses, and one draw. They struggled in front of the goal in these games, scoring just five times.
Mexico started the game on the front foot as they looked to make a strong start to their World Cup campaign. They secured a famous 1-0 win over Germany in the last edition in Russia in 2018 and were hopeful of making some waves in Qatar, too. They kept 63% possession in the first half but were wasteful with their chances. Despite five attempts, they hit the target just once.
Poland, on the other hand, looked toothless going forward as they lacked any real threat. They attempted just one shot which was wide of the mark. Mexico did well to negate the threat posed by Robert Lewandowski. His strike-partner Piotr Zielenski, though, had a fairly decent game. After an entertaining first half, the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Both teams came out for the second half with an increased attacking intent as players from both Mexico and Poland pushed forward to try and score.
Mexico once again dominated possession, keeping the ball for 58% of the time in the second period. This allowed them to create several opportunities to shoot. They fired six shots on goal but just three of them were on target. Poland, on the other hand, attempted five shots but managed to hit the target just twice.
The most notable moment of the second half saw veteran 'keeper Guillermo Ochoa make a superb save to deny Lewandowski from the penalty spot just before the hour-mark.
After another entertaining 45 minutes of football, there was nothing to separate Mexico and Poland as the game ended goalless. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points.
#5. Both Mexico and Poland made slow starts to the game
Both sides came out for the first half with a sense of nervousness in their approach, knowing the winner of the game could potentially be on top of the group. However, their gameplay was far from that of table-toppers as Mexico put recorded 0.35xG in the first half while Poland recorded just 0.04xG.
Mexico kept nearly two-thirds of the possession in the first period but were unable to translate that into goals, hitting the target just once in five tries.
#4. Mexico have suffered since Raul Jimenez's major head injury
Raul Jimenez was one of the hottest properties in world football before he suffered a serious head injury in November 2020. In the season before that, he had scored 27 goals and provided 10 assists in 55 appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2019-20 season.
Since his injury layoff, neither Mexico nor Wolves have looked the same team. Jimenez himself has returned but has not been able to reach the same level that he played at before. His decline has been heartbreaking to witness and at 31 years of age, time running out fast for him.
#3. Lewandowski's penalty miss was the turning point
Poland were awarded a penalty shortly after the game resumed for the second half as Lewandowski was brought down by Hector Moreno. The Mexican was booked and the referee awarded a penalty following a VAR check.
However, Guillermo Ochoa once again proved his mettle on the biggest stage, making a good save to deny the Poles.
#2. Poland needs to adopt a more attacking approach to maximize their talent
Poland lined up for this game in a 3-5-2 formation, which is predominantly seen as an ultra-defensive attack thanks to the presence of wing-backs. Due to this, they were forced to sit deep whenever the Mexicans lengthy spells of possession, which was for most of the game. Their forwards were also forced to stay back, preventing them from breaking on the counter-attack themselves.
#1. Group D is wide open considering the results
Saudi Arabia kicked off the day by effecting one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history as they defeated Argentina 2-1. However, after the buzz around the result died down, several people were focused on the game between Mexico and Poland as the winner would be in a strong place to qualify.
However, the two sides managed just a goalless draw, throwing Group D wide open. Saudi are now first with three points while Mexico and Poland trail them with one each. All four of the remaining games will hold great weight in determining who qualifies for the knockouts.
