Mexico defeats Turkey in its final test before the Gold Cup

The Mexican national soccer team achieved a tight but valuable 1-0 victory over Turkey in a friendly match played at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, despite a mediocre to poor attendance that reflected the lukewarm mood of the fans after the thrashing suffered by Switzerland.

The game-winning goal came just before halftime, in the 45th minute, when Orbelín Pineda received the ball inside the box and finished with class , completing a collective move that restored some confidence to Javier Aguirre's team. The AEK Athens player was one of the most active players and was rewarded for his efforts.

Turkey offered an intense first half, relying on physicality and an attacking style of play that troubled the Mexican side at times. However, as the minutes progressed, the Tricolor team managed to settle better on the field , balancing the action and closing out the first half with a goal.

For the second half, the Mexican team looked more polished . Ángel Sepúlveda and Alexis Vega created danger on the flanks, accompanied in midfield by Marcel Ruiz, who wove together good combinations before the usual substitutions in this type of match.

The introductions of Raúl Jiménez, Santiago Giménez, César Huerta, and Roberto Alvarado injected dynamism and freshness into the attack, although the scoreline remained unchanged. The attacks continued, but the final touches to extend the lead were lacking.

Despite the improvement, the performance wasn't entirely convincing. The national team showed progress since the disastrous match against Switzerland, but there's still much room for improvement , especially in the balance between defense and attack, as well as in their decisiveness.

The match ended with a shock after some fans entered the field, bypassing security to get close to the players. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and referee Moeth Gaymes maintained control until the final whistle.

With this victory, Mexico completes its preparations for the 2025 Gold Cup , a tournament in which it will debut this Saturday in Los Angeles against the Dominican Republic. The next FIFA matchday for Mexico will be in September, with matches against Japan and South Korea on U.S. soil.

SV