Mexico 5-1 Gambia: El Tri thump African’s Gambia

Mexico halted a run of two successive international losses, after previously falling to quick-fire defeats against England and Holland, in sublime fashion on Sunday afternoon (GMT), when smashing African side Gambia 5-1 in Austria. A brace from their young sensation, and now turned Manchester United player, Javier Hernandez was accompanied by a double from Adolfo Bautista and a strike late into the game from Alberto Medina, with the three playing their part in helping the Mexicans to end their losing streak with a touch of class, although their opponents, currently ranked 93 in the FIFA World Rankings, aren’t a touch on the sides El Tri will face at South Africa in a little under a fortnights time.

The win, one which was made made impressive by an attractive scoreline, was vitally important as Mexico didn’t want to head into next month’s showcase stuck in the losing mindset. Javier Aguirre’s men did take a while to get going though, with four of their fives goals coming in the second half. It was also the third game in a row they had failed to keep a clean sheet, this time against a far inferior nation.

The Mexico team will now return to their camp in Austria buoyed by their Gambia rout and feeling far more confident about their chances at the finals with that win under their belt. There are areas where coach Javier Aguirre does need to improve however, with the defence in the main particular vulnerable to long balls and often losing aerial battles. In less than two weeks they’ll face the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts in South Africa on June 11th, and games with former World Cup winners France and Uruguay then await them further down the line in Group A.