Mexico were palpably the better side for the vast majority of the 90 minutes but when the game didn't spark into life Portugal - with Ronaldo and Quaresma in fine fettle - looked the deadlier.
All in all that was a just result in what was truth be told a rather entertaining affair that had it all!
Viva Confederations Cup, as it were!
Thank you for reading, Anirudh Menon signing out...
OH WOW! FOR THE SECOND TIME MEXICO DRAW LEVEL. Giovanni dos Santos send in a lovely ball that Moreno rose above Fonte and absolutely thumped into the bottom corner. WOOOF!!! WHAT A HEADER!
89' OH MARTINS!! THAT WAS SO CLOSE! Andre Silva and Ronaldo counter at pace before the former plays in Martins. He holds of Araujo and turns & shoots in one smooth motion but the ball trundles agonisingly wide.
88' OH WHAT A MOVE! Jonathan dos Santos played in Giovanni whho touched the ball towards Chicharito but the little Pea simply can't get it under control!
THAT WAS COMING! Gelson Martins whipped past Layun and smashed a ball in that Hector Herrera could only steer in the direction of Cedric. The fullback smashed it at goal... and it deflected off Herrera's boot and into the goal
85' AAAAOOOOOOO!!!! ANDRE SILVA!!! Andre Gomes floats in a lovely little ball that is too high for Ronaldo but Silva behind him can connect with his leap - it takes Ochoa to go full stretch to keep the score level!
84' Carvalho clever slides Cedric free on the right but Herrera and Layun doe supremely well to first tackle him and then ensure it doesn't go out for a corne.
83' Peralta bundles Pepe to the ground in his pursuit of a dos Santos long ball - but he can't get around the prone defender to get it. This half looks like it's finishing well too
81' MEXICO COUNTER at extreme pace before Giovanni dos Santos screws his side well wide! Portugal counter right back but Quaresma's cross reeks of tiredness and sails harmlessly wide
80' Ronaldo twists and turns away from Herrera but the Mexican is obdurate and comes back for more - he and Araujo manage to shoulder-charge the great man off the ball. Portugal retain possession though and lays it off to Quaresma whose half-volley is straight at Ochoa
79' Mexico fling their dice for the last time as they bring on Oribe Peralta for the unusually quiet Raul Jimenez. Peralta's first contribution to the game is to foul Jose Fonte
78' Martins plays in Ronaldo but the pace on the ball forces the great man wide... he does well to keep the ball and ensure Portugal can continue to ping it around... all that ends when Martins cant's control a smart little through ball from William Carvalho
76' Andre Gomes dumps Andres Guadrado on the ground with a lovely run down the right flank before he lays it off to Quaresma. The veteran lines up a shot - with Ronaldo screaming for the pass - and so naturally he smacks his shot into the nearest defender. If looks could kill, Ronaldo would be in trouble for a lot more than tax-dodging.
73' Ricardo Quaresma stands over the free kick... but his delivery is atrocious. The dancing feet of Gelson Martins keeps the ball in play, but is not enough to get past Araujo
71' Hernandez almost combines brilliantly with Giovanni's brother Jonathan, but the younger dos Santos is stopped in his tracks by the dour figure of Pepe. It really is all Mexico as the CONCACAF Champions dictate play
70' Chicharito picks up a layoff and threads a ball into Giovanni dos Santos... but he won the layoff by going in with a high boot on Silva and the ref goes "peep!"
68' The first yellow card of the match is flashed in the direction of Adrien Silva as he says hello to Giovanni dos Santos in a less than friendly manner as the latter was on the verge of bursting into the box.
65' Portugal are once again playing much better as the half wears on - Mexico make a substitution as they replace Salcedo for Araujo (like-for-like swap, that)
64' Portugal come bombing forward again but Quaresma's ball (delivered with that inimitable outside-of-the-boot technique) is well headed away by Guadrado
63' WHERE IS THE REAL RONALDO? WHERE IS HE!? he gets the ball and runs at a furiously backpedaling Reyes and instead of smashing it at goal, he tries to play in Gelson Martins (who is is in turn muscled off the ball by Salcedo, but that's beside the point)
62' Andre Gomes runs diagonally across the box, delaying his pass to Ronaldo at least three times before finally giving it to his captain in a position where there was no chance he could have gotten his shot away. Poor from the Barca man
61' Quaresma, though, is in fine form and he does what he's always done best.. twists his fullback (salcedo) inside-out before delivering a teasing ball that Diego Reyes does well to head off the forehead of Gelson Martins.
60' Mexico are knocking the ball around with absurd ease here... Dos Santos touches the ball on agonisingly wide of Hernandez but fret not because Portugal are treating the ball like a hot potato and give the ball right back.
57' SUBSTITUTIONS - Carlos Vela off, Giovanni dos Santos on..... while for Portugal the unimpressive Nani goes off for Gelson Martins while Joao Moutinho is hooked for Adrien Silva
56' AIY AIY! Another flowing Mexico move comes to an end as dos Santos rather comically runs ahead of the ball... Portugal counter, but this is an all new Ronaldo - and instead of taking on Layun he cuts back and "recycles" the ball...
55' Vela gets the ball at the edge of the box, ghosts past Guerrero before taking on Fonte and Carvalho - and smashing his cross/shot into the side netting.
54' Layun tries to run in behind Cedric from Guadrado's clever ball, but the Portuguese right back holds his ground... this is a bit hopeless though. This half has started exactly the way the first did - it's ALL MEXICO!
52' Ochoa's certainly gone the Barcelona way - under pressure from Ronaldo he calmly passes it a couple of feet to his right and Mexico build up from the back. once again. They move forward rather more rapidly and Vela wins a corner...
48' Layun wins a regular ol' greco-roman tussle with Quaresma before he is upended unapologetically by Pepe. Guaddrado stands over the freekick in a decent area (for a delivery into the box)
47' Layun's ball into the box is not all that great and Portugal move forward once again...only for Moutinho to hand possession back with a loose pass. Scrappy start to the second 45
Well that was rather interesting... what started off as a dour affair has now turned into an end-to-end free-for-all... Exactly the kind of thing we all needed to see
46' Carlos Vela steams past Gomes and Guerrero like the two don't exist before cutting in a lovely ball that flashes across the face of the goal and lands at the feet of Chicharito.... WHO SMASHES IT INTO ORBIT! OH MY! OH MY!
SHARE
Mexico were palpably the better side for the vast majority of the 90 minutes but when the game didn't spark into life Portugal - with Ronaldo and Quaresma in fine fettle - looked the deadlier.
All in all that was a just result in what was truth be told a rather entertaining affair that had it all!
Viva Confederations Cup, as it were!
Thank you for reading, Anirudh Menon signing out...
Toodle-ooo!