Colombia Crushes Mexico's Dreams: How El Tri's Texas Showdown Turned Into a Devastating Nightmare
Mexico struggled significantly in the second period and suffered a crushing 4–0 loss to Colombia at AT&T Stadium, marking the heaviest defeat during Javier Aguirre's tenure.
Jhon Lucumí netted the opener early in the contest. Mexico rallied effectively and held a slight edge over Colombia for the remainder of the opening half, but couldn't create clear opportunities to equalize the score.
Aguirre's squad collapsed following halftime, though, and Colombia showed no mercy. Luis Díaz, Jefferson Lerma and Johan Carbonero all scored to complete a commanding victory for Néstor Lorenzo's team and
For Mexico, it represents a concerning display where all the squad's weaknesses were laid bare. Major improvements are required or Ecuador might well deliver consecutive losses to Mexico when they clash next Tuesday.
Here are three key observations from Mexico's troubling loss against Colombia.
No Raul Jiménez, No Party
A slight hip problem kept Raúl Jiménez out of Mexico's October international exhibitions. Against Colombia, his missing presence was enormously noticeable.
Santiago Giménez got the start and worked relentlessly against Colombia's central defenders attempting to create something from very little. Nevertheless, with minimal support from his colleagues, the AC Milan forward was frequently isolated up top and couldn't influence the game.
Throughout the past year, Mexico has cultivated a sort of Jiménez-reliance. It's not merely Jimenez's 10 strikes in his previous 16 appearances for Mexico that El Tri lacked, but his comprehensive contribution to the team's offensive play.
Jiménez has evolved into a single-man offensive framework for El Tri. The forward regularly retreats to midfield to function as an option during build-up phases and then proceeds to orchestrate and frequently complete attacking moves. Without his presence, Mexico appeared unable to create any threats.
Aguirre needs to discover methods to maximize his other strikers' potential, because currently, El Tri appears destined to reach the World Cup with its scoring aspirations almost entirely dependent on a forward who will turn 35 next summer.
Mexico Has a Goalkeeper Problem
Mexico would have fallen to Colombia regardless of their goalkeeper, but Luis Malagón certainly played a role in El Tri's one-sided loss.
The Club América keeper continues to face difficulties whenever situations require him to leave his goal line to challenge for possession. Colombia's opening strike came from a dead ball situation that Lucumí converted inside Malagón's six-yard area, with the keeper positioned firmly under his crossbar.
For Colombia's fourth goal, Juan Fernando Quintero delivered a pass from beyond midfield that Carbonero reached before Malagón just outside the penalty box. The goalkeeper initially delayed his decision to pursue the ball—had he acted sooner, he would have arrived well before Carbonero.
Malagón excels at shot-stopping, but shows limitations in all other areas of his game. His recent struggles seem to have begun affecting his self-assurance.
The challenge for Aguirre is the lack of suitable replacements available. Raúl Rangel has served as Malagón's understudy but has also been error-prone when given opportunities. Carlos Acevedo is Mexico's third-choice keeper and has allowed 21 goals across 12 Liga MX matches this season.
Malagón remains Mexico's top choice for the World Cup, but his recent displays are undeniably concerning and the goalkeeper spot could easily become El Tri's weak point next summer.
A Massive Reality Check
This marks just the third loss Mexico has endured in 20 matches since Aguirre's return as coach last September—four including a friendly versus River Plate in January featuring almost entirely U-20 players.
Mexico reclaimed the top position in Concacaf this year, capturing both the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup titles to reestablish El Tri as the region's dominant force.
However, Mexico remains distant from being a genuine contender against the world's truly elite national sides. Moreover, El Tri hasn't even reached the standard of some second-tier global teams, like Colombia.
Mexico's latest loss was a 4–2 defeat to Switzerland earlier this summer. Since then, they've been unable to beat South Korea and Japan.
El Tri ranks 14th globally according to FIFA's system, just one position below their 4–0 conquerors. That illustrates the magnitude of the gap.
Certainly, this may have been an poor evening for Aguirre's side, but recent showings suggest that while Mexico possesses sufficient talent to control Concacaf, considerable work remains to genuinely compete with the world's premier teams.
Mexico should manage to progress beyond the group phase in next summer's World Cup, but currently, it's difficult to imagine El Tri mounting a significant tournament run.