El Tri, without head or tail; draws with Valencia between boos

Mexico raised a cloud of dust at the Cuauhtémoc stadium. With an unusual friendly against the penultimate place in the Spanish League, Valencia, the national team added its second draw in the cycle led by coach Javier Aguirre by finishing 2-2, on a night marked by discouragement, ticket sales at 2 for 1 and problems in television broadcasting.

In less than 10 minutes of the game, an own goal by goalkeeper Vincent Abril put the Mexicans ahead after a free kick by Alexis Vega (7). The Toluca forward sent his shot to the post and the ball bounced off the Spaniard’s back, slowly going towards the goal. During the celebration of players and coaching staff, the hundreds of empty places in the stands were even more evident.

The advantage established the confidence of the Tricolor, but did not stop the impatience of those who paid for a ticket. When the whistles got louder, midfielder Ozziel Herrera advanced on the crescent and finished off from the right to make it 2-0 (31). The celebration was of little use for a team that returned to play in Puebla territory after 17 years.

About to reach the end of the first half, the Spanish Daniel Gómez brought Valencia closer to the scoreline (41). Then, in the second half, he achieved the tie with a half turn in the area (60) and intensified the general anger in the stands. People protested, chanted “Olé!” against the Tricolor and booed those selected until the end.

For 10 minutes, after Vega’s initial goal, the Tv Azteca network lost the signal of the match and reported problems unrelated to its production. “They lowered the switch, an apology to all,” ex-footballer Luis García ironically said from the microphones. On the other hand, the United States, Mexico’s next rival – on Tuesday in Guadalajara – beat Canada 2-0.