25 Moments Every Mexican Soccer Fan Remembers All Too Well
¡Chiquitibum a la bim bom ba — eyyyy no fue penal!
If you’re a fan of El Tri, you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that for every highlight reel goal or historic victory…
… It will inevitably be followed by a moment of agonizing heartbreak.
¡No llores, broder! 2018 es nuestro año. Let’s take a look at the ups and downs that have marked the moments of many fans of El Tri.
1. When Manuel Negrete scored that incredible scissor kick goal against Bulgaria in the 1986 World Cup.
You probably didn’t see it happen live, but you’ve seen this goal played over and over for years.
2. When Mexico missed the 1990 World Cup due to the “Cachirules” scandal.
After fielding overage players in a U-20 tournament, Mexico was banned from international soccer for two years and missed the 1990 World Cup – and striker Hugo Sánchez missed a chance to play a World Cup during his prime.
3. When you thought Hugo Sánchez was coming in to save the day, but he stayed on the bench.
1994 World Cup: Mexico was tied 1-1 in extra time with Bulgaria in a Round of 16 match. When the game went into extra time, it looked like Mexico coach Miguel Mejía Barón was going to sub in Hugo Sánchez – the greatest player in Mexican history – to add more firepower to the team. Instead, often-stubborn Mejía Barón left Sánchez on the bench and…
Eventually, Mexico lost the match to Bulgaria in a penalty shootout.
4. When Cuauhtémoc Blanco unleashed the “Cuauhteminha” at the 1998 World Cup.
Classic Cuauh.
5. When Cuauhtémoc Blanco went airborne to help Mexico draw with Belgium at the 1998 World Cup.
6. When Luis “El Matador” Hernández made a last-ditch effort to tie Mexico’s match with the Netherlands.
And guaranteed their place in the knockout stage.
7. When Luis Hernández gave Mexico a 1-0 lead over Germany in the Round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup.
¡SI SE PUEDE! ¡SI SE PUEDE!
8. When Mexico conceded two late goals to Germany in the second half and were knocked out of the 1998 World Cup.
No se pudo. Yep, that’s current U.S. National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann scoring the first goal versus Mexico.
9. When Mexico beat Brazil 4-3 to win the 1999 Confederations Cup.
Sure, the tournament was hosted in Mexico, and Brazil played with a team full of youngsters, but one of them was a rising star named Ronaldinho.
10. When Jared Borgetti scored a wondrous header versus Italy in the 2002 World Cup.
And Gianluigi Buffon, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, could do nothing but watch.
11. When Mexico lost 2-0 to the United States in the Round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup.
Landon Donovan cemented his place as a villain, and the phrase “Dos a cero” became a common taunt used by USMNT fans.
12. When Mexico defeated Brazil to win the 2005 U-17 World Cup.
And we learned the names of future stars like Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and Hector Moreno.
13. When Argentina knocked Mexico out of the 2006 World Cup with a wonder goal by Maxi Rodriguez.
Hey, Mexico is playing great! Maybe this is – what’s that? Oh, just a lump in my throat. This is why Mexico fans will forever root against Argentina.
14. When Nery Castillo helped Mexico beat Brazil at the 2007 Copa América.
This kid is gonna be a STAR!
15. When Nery Castillo’s career took a nosedive.
After his move from club team Olympiacos, Castillo jumped from team to team and never regained his form.
16. When two errors against Argentina cost Mexico dearly in a Round of 16 matchup at the 2010 World Cup.
After a heartbreaking elimination at the hands of Argentina during the 2006 World Cup, Mexico was looking for payback. Unfortunately, two mistakes ruined Mexico’s shot at revenge. The first was a missed offside call from the assistant referee that led to a goal. The second was a giveaway by defender Ricardo Osorio that led to a second goal, and more importantly, the nail in the coffin for Mexico.
17. When Julio Gómez’s heroic performance helped Mexico win the 2011 U-17 World Cup.
After going down with a head injury moments after Mexico tied its semi-final match with Germany, Gómez returned late in the game to do this:
Mexico won the match and went on to defeat Uruguay to claim the title.
18. When Giovani Dos Santos scored an incredible goal to cap off a comeback victory against the United States in the 2011 Gold Cup.
And saved Mexico from another “dos a cero” loss to the USMNT.
19. When Mexico upset Brazil to win the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
21. Except this goal:
Only 2 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses. Only 7 goals scored. Mexico would have been eliminated from the World Cup if not for USMNT forward Graham Zusi, who scored an equalizer against Panama that put Mexico through to a playoff versus New Zealand.
Now, you never want to hear “Chepo de la Torre” and “Mexico national team coach” in the same sentence again.
22. When Guillermo Ochoa became a worldwide trending topic…
… with his Man of the Match performance against 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil.
23. When Miguel Herrera’s celebrations put a smile on everyone’s face.
24. When Mexico defeated trash-talking Croatia to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup.
“¡Les dimo en la Modric!”
25. When Mexico conceded two late goals to the Netherlands and watched their World Cup hopes vanish.
And the #NoFuePenal/#NoEraPenal movement was born. As much as things change, they always stay the same.
Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/omarvillegas/jugamos-como-nunca-perdimos-como-siempre
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