Oribe Peralta fires Mexico to victory.

Photo: Oribe Peralta scores the winner for Mexico against Cameroon (Getty Images)

In a game where controversial decisions were again at the forefront, Mexico and Cameroon gave their all in the pouring rain but Oribe Peralta scored the only goal to give Mexico three big points in their opening World Cup encounter. The Mexicans came out all guns blazing and played their exciting slick passing game using the width of the pitch to great effect.

Porto’s Hector Herrera was brilliant on the night running the show in midfield for El Tri. He set up Villarreal’s Giovanni dos Santos in the 12th minute who found the back of the net but was ruled out for offside. Replays showed that he was onside but was unfortunate to see his goal ruled out from an inch-perfect Herrera cross.

Samuel Eto’o and company were struggling to keep up with the pace, intensity and quality of Mexico’s play as Herrera and Jose Juan Vazquez of Club Leon were finding wing backs Paul Aguilar and Miguel Layun both of Club America, down the flanks stretching Cameroon’s midfield and defense.

Eto’o had a clear sight at goal on 21 minutes when Benoit Assou-Ekotto of QPR broke from left back and picked him out beautifully with a low cross but the 33 year old headed just wide of the target. Mexico could have taken the lead on 27 minutes but skipper Rafael Marquez couldn’t redirect Andres Guardado’s glorious free-kick on target.

Mexico had another goal ruled out on the half hour mark when dos Santos headed home a corner that was flicked on by Mainz’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting but again was incorrectly flagged for offside. Mexico’s coach Miguel Herrera was getting upset at this point with so many poor decisions going against his team. The half was completed with Mexico keeping possession and probing with Herrera involved in everything but failed to get on the score sheet.

The Mexicans picked up where they left off in the second half and made their intentions clear as early as the 47th minute. dos Santos played in Peralta one-on-one with Charles Itandje but the Konyaspor keeper made a great block. 

Assou-Ekotto’s free-kick in the 58th minute could have gone anywhere after a deflection but the ball went wide for a corner kick. The all important goal came on the hour mark scored by Peralta. It was that brilliant slick passing again from El Tri inevitably involving Herrera who played in dos Santos. His shot was saved by Itandje but Peralta slotted home the rebound into an empty to give the Mexicans a deserved lead.

Herrera should have scored four minutes later when his timely burst into the penalty area was picked out expertly by Guardado but somehow he could not get his shot on target. At this stage El Tri had confidence and was just stroking the ball around as if it was a training session. 

Dany Nounkeu then made a last ditch tackle to deny substitute Marco Fabian a simple tap-in on 82 minutes. Substitute Javier Hernandez made a great diagonal run to pick-up a pass from dos Santos and crossed for Fabian but Nounkeu denied him. Cameroon’s only genuine chance on goal in the second half came on 90 minutes. Assou-Ekotto crossed for Benjamin Moukandjo but Guillermo Ochoa save comfortably.

Hernandez should have gotten on the score sheet but failed to hit the target from point-blank range from a Layun cross. The game ended 1-0 to Mexico who were very impressive on the night. Herrera was in great form and produced a man-of-the-match performance. Brazil is their next opponent and they will be full of confidence going up against Neymar and co.

Cameroon were lucky not to have lost by a wider margin but coach Volker Finke will know that his team has to show more ambition in attack and be a lot better in midfield because they were over-ran and out-played by the Mexicans.