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International Friendly: Switzerland 1 Brazil 0

http://www.youtube.com/w…6Wp8B3BySqU

Switzerland brought an end to Brazil’s 11-match unbeaten run as Dani Alves headed into his own net to hand the hosts a shock 1-0 win.

The Barcelona defender failed to control a swinging cross from Xherdan Shaqiri and put the ball through his own goal with 47 minutes gone, unwittingly handing the Swiss reward after strong pressure from Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side.

The victory for Switzerland marks their first since 1989 against the five-time world champions.

Hitzeld fielded a strong side for the match, including veteran Philippe Senderos as well as promising Bayern Munich youngster Shaqiri.

His Brazil counterpart Luiz Felipe Scolari opted to stick with nine of the XI who had won the FIFA Confederations Cup final against Spain.

Julio Cesar, currently seeking a move from English Championship side QPR, missed out while reported Barcelona target David Luiz was replaced by Dante at the back.

The visitors started strongly, piling on the pressure early – and it looked like they would be rewarded in the 11th minute when Fred managed to shake off his man to feed Hulk, who was poised in the middle, but quick reactions from Diego Benaglio saw the 27-year-old’s shot kept out.

The home side continued to struggle to retain any possession, and the Wolfsburg goalkeeper was called into action again a few minutes later. Hulk was once more involved as he charged at goal, but his shot fell well for Benaglio, who saved with his feet.

Switzerland did pose some threat on the break, but their finishing was wayward as a shot from Shaqiri cleared the crossbar just before the interval.

Tempers began to fray shortly before half-time, when Stephan Lichtsteiner was chopped down by Neymar, with the Barcelona striker earning a yellow card as referee Deniz Aytekin struggled to separate the players.

Brazil’s class was evident in patches, and they should have opened the scoring when Paulinho’s header came back off the crossbar, before at the other end Shaqiri tested Jefferson with a long-range effort.

At the break, the hosts opted to withdraw Valentin Stocker,to be replaced by Tranquillo Barnetta, while 21-year-old Fabian Schaer made his international bow at the expense of Senderos.

And the changes reaped rewards within a few minutes, as Switzerland’s pressure ended with a cross from Shaqiri and Alves inadvertently head past his own keeper.

The Brazilian embarrassment was almost increased soon after when Jefferson failed to control a ball leading to a melee in the box, with Haris Seferovic just beaten to the ball by the Brazilian.

Scolari opted to make three changes to force the game, with the most notable seeing 31-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell make his international debut while Fred – who has scored five in five for Brazil – left the field to be replaced by Jo.

That did not seem to help the visitors, who still found themselves battling against the impressive Swiss attack – which was typified through Shaqiri, who once again fired over the crossbar after 66 minutes.

Brazil attempted to fight back in the latter stages, going close through Jo, but debutant defender Michael Lang intercepted.The loss marked the first for Brazil since February, while Switzerland gained a confidence-boosting win ahead of the resumption of their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Hitzfeld’s men currently sit top of UEFA Group E, although they still have another four games to play, the next coming against Iceland on September 6.

International Friendly: Bosnia 3 USA 4

http://www.youtube.com/w…jLx3Mbhp0Rk

Jozy Altidore´s hat-trick inspired a second-half comeback for the USA as they beat Bosnia 4-3 on Wednesday to extend their unbeaten run.

The Sunderland striker´s treble saw the CONCACAF Gold Cup winners make it 13 games without a loss, while Bosnia suffered defeat for the first time in 10 matches.

Bosnia dominated the first half in Sarajevo and led at the break through strikes from Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic.

But the USA hit back with four second-half goals to ensure that Dzeko´s second was merely a consolation.

Eddie Johnson sparked the revival early in the second half to stun the hosts, who last lost on June 6, 2012, against Mexico.

Dzeko broke the deadlock with just seven minutes on the clock, the Manchester City striker springing the offside trap to slot past Tim Howard.

The USA tried to muster a prompt response and saw appeals for a penalty waved away when Mikkel Diskerud took a tumble inside the box.

But it was the European side who carried the greater threat and after Ibisevic missed a fairly straightforward opportunity from Dzeko´s cutback, he found his range.

Rising to meet a 30th-minute corner, the 29-year-old outmuscled two defenders to direct his header past the helpless Howard.

Juergen Klinsmann´s charges were a different proposition after the interval and Eddie Johnson halved the deficit with 55 minutes gone, crafting a simple finish after Altidore took the goalkeeper out of the equation.

Provider then turned goalscorer four minutes later as Altidore latched onto Fabian Johnson´s pass before stroking home with his left foot.

The turnaround was complete with six minutes to play, Altidore steering a superb free-kick into the top corner.

He rounded off his hat-trick just two minutes later, receiving a pass from Michael Bradley before coolly finishing past Asmir Begovic.

There was still time for Manchester City striker Dzeko to flick a header into the net with his back to goal, doubling his tally in the process, but it was all too late for Bosnia, who could not stage a comeback of their own.

International Friendly: Italy 1 Argentina 2

http://www.youtube.com/w…-T1XJn9_TpA

Gonzalo Higuain inspired Argentina to a 2-1 win against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.

The Napoli striker troubled the Italy defence on several occasions and deservedly finished the evening with a goal and an assist before being replaced after 60 minutes.

He grabbed the first goal of the night in the first half after a terrific pass from Erik Lamela before supplying an accurate pass into the path of Ever Banega to double the advantage just after half-time.

Lorenzo Insigne grabbed a consolation for Italy with a terrific curling effort with 15 minutes remaining, but the home side could not find an equaliser.

Italy were without Mario Balotelli, who missed the game through injury, with Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo replacing him, while Daniele De Rossi started the game in an unfamiliar centre-back role for the home side.

Alejandro Sabella´s side had injury woes of their own with Barcelona star Lionel Messi unavailable. His absence gave 21-year-old Roma winger Lamela the opportunity to showcase his talent.

The away side made the brighter start with Higuain looking particularly threatening in the opposition box. He had a shooting opportunity as early as the third minute but his tame effort was easily held by Gianluigi Buffon.

Italy were struggling to find their rhythm and only had a blocked effort from an Emanuele Giaccherini strike to show for their efforts in the opening 15 minutes.

And their slow start was deservedly punished five minutes later. Marco Verratti gifted possession to Lamela 35 yards from Italy´s goal and his pinpoint pass with the outside of his boot found Higuain in the box and he cut inside De Rossi to fire past Buffon.

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli will have been disappointed with the amount of room afforded to the former Real Madrid striker.

The setback sparked Italy into action but they failed to carve out clear-cut opportunities, although they had legitimate claims for a penalty when Giorgio Chiellini was dragged to the floor by Napoli defender Federico Fernandez from a free-kick.

Chiellini was once again involved when he narrowly headed Antonio Candreva´s corner over the crossbar.

Candreva was becoming a real thorn in the Argentina defence, first delivering a cross that just evaded Pablo Osvaldo´s outstretched boot before a teasing ball into the box was met by Claudio Marchisio, who inexplicably miskicked his effort straight to goalkeeper Mariano Andujar.

And they were nearly punished for their wastefulness when Angel Di Maria picked out Rodrigo Palacio at the back post, but the Inter forward was sliding as his effort went over the crossbar as the match headed for half-time.

Lamela was surprisingly withdrawn at half-time to be replaced by Banega, but the decision was almost immediately justified with the substitute doubling the advantage in the 49th minute.

Higuain picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the box and laid into the path of the on-rushing Banega, who took one touch before striking firmly across Buffon into the left-hand corner.

Buffon was replaced in the 55th minute by Federico Marchetti and the goalkeeper was called into immediate action to make a fantastic double save. Higuain pounced on a loose ball in the box that was parried into the path of Palacio, who only had to guide into the empty net but was denied by a stunning recovery save from Marchetti.

Italy then had the ball in the back of the net in the 68th minute when Alessandro Diamanti´s free-kick was well saved by Andujar. The rebound was eventually put in by Alberto Aquilani but the linesman raised his flag for offside.

But with 15 minutes remaining, the home side did reduce the deficit when Insigne hit a sublime curling effort into the top right-hand corner from 20 yards.

Italy continued to push for the equaliser but they once again had Marchetti to thank as he produced a stunning save from Fernandez´s bending shot in the 89th minute.

Argentina now who head into their FIFA World Cup qualifier with Paraguay in September full of confidence, while Italy will take heart from a spirited performance as they host Bulgaria and the Czech Republic in the same month as they look to seal qualification to Brazil in 2014.

International Friendly: Colombia 1 Serbia 0

http://www.youtube.com/w…OcdHATPDnR4


Fredy Guarin scored a last-gasp header for Colombia as they defeated Serbia 1-0 in an entertaining friendly in Barcelona on Wednesday.

The Inter midfielder – who was introduced off the bench with just 13 minutes to play - headed home from close range in the 89th minute to delight a small but vocal crowd in Spain.

In a match where both sides enjoyed spells of dominance, Colombia shaded proceedings, with the efforts of Luis Muriel and Jackson Martinez particularly notable.

Colombia – who are ranked third in the world – will now take confidence into their crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ecuador next month.

Jose Pekerman´s side, who sit second in South American qualification, have not reached the World Cup Finals since 1998.

Pekerman did not include Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, but still picked a strong side, while Serbia coach Sinisa Mihajlovic left out big names Aleksandar Kolarov and Dusan Tadic in favour of a younger team.

Serbia burst out of the blocks and captain Branislav Ivanovic had two attempts on goal inside the first five minutes, following up a poor free-kick with a good header that nearly crept in following a Miralem Sulejmani cross.

Serbia controlled the tempo in the early stages and were doing all the attacking, but Colombia awoke from their slumber in the 16th minute.

Muriel was the spark, poking just over from close range before he fizzed a volley wide after an excellent lofted ball from James Rodriguez.

Colombia then turned on the style, with an outstanding move, which featured a series of one-touch flicks, finishing with Juan Guillermo Cuadrado.

Cuadrado powered his way into the penalty area but saw his shot saved as Colombia started to show why they are so high in the FIFA rankings.

There were still flashes for Serbia though, and Ivan Radovanovic was denied a stunning goal by the quick reactions of Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, who did well to keep out a well-hit effort from 20 yards.

Cuadrado went close again while Martinez was called in to make a goal-line clearance at the other end, following a poor piece of goalkeeping from Ospina.

Both sides were goalless at the break but Serbia could have easily broken the deadlock early in the second half.

Half-time substitute Tadic showed exceptional skill to see off two challenges inside the penalty area before laying off for Filip Djuricic, but his left-foot effort was well saved by Ospina.

Colombia regularly found their attacks thwarted by the positional sense and aerial power of Ivanovic – who was taken off after an hour – while Dusan Bata hit a tame effort at Serbia goalkeeper Damir Kahriman at the other end.

Kahriman dropped a routine cross and almost let Cuadrado in, only to save well, while a follow-up cross fizzed agonisingly wide of substitute Carlos Bacca, who had an empty net to aim at.

Several intricate passing moves saw Colombia threaten, but it seemed like it would not be their night, only for the industrious Martinez to create some late drama.

Martinez initially had his effort saved after he was sent through on goal, but Serbia failed to clear their lines.

A miscued clearance fell to Martinez and his smart header across the face of goal allowed Guarin to nod home from two yards despite the close attention of two Serbian defenders, as Colombia claimed a late triumph.

International Friendly: Chile 6 Iraq 0

http://www.youtube.com/w…UILTgHRbAGE

A stunning individual performance from Barcelona´s Alexis Sanchez helped Chile thrash Iraq 6-0 at The Brondy Stadion on Wednesday.

Sanchez was in inspired form for the South Americans, finishing the match with two goals and claiming two assists in a dominant display from Jorge Sampaoli´s side.

Eugenio Mena opened the scoring with a sensational volley from the edge of the box after eight minutes before a quick-fire double from Sanchez put Chile 3-0 up within 30 minutes.

The Barcelona forward then laid on two sublime assists for Jean Beausejour to score a double and make it five before half-time before Manchester United forward Angelo Henriquez completed the rout in the second half with a scrappy close-range finish from Bryan Rabello´s cross.

Sampaoli named a strong starting XI as he prepares his side for the important World Cup qualifying fixture against Venezuela on September 6. Sanchez was joined in attack by Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Isla.

Vladimir Petrovic´s Iraq are a side in transition and their starting XI featured several players from the team that reached the semi-final of the recent Under-20 World Cup.

Chile made an electric opening and were duly rewarded as early as the eighth minute when a Marcelo Diaz corner was only half cleared as far as the edge of the area, where Mena hit a thunderous first-time volley that flew into the top corner.

Buoyed by that early advantage, Chile continued to press and Sanchez sent an effort from inside the box narrowly wide of the far post.

However, the Barcelona forward was not to be denied for long and he soon doubled the lead in the 22nd minute. The 24-year-old cut in from the left-hand side of the box before an exquisite drag back created the opening for him to hit a fierce left-foot shot beyond Noor Sabri.

It was 3-0 inside half an hour when Sanchez notched his second of the game, heading home from inside the six-yard area to cap a wonderful flowing move from Chile.

Iraq were completely overwhelmed by their opponents and the situation worsened as Chile ended the half with two goals from Beausejour within a dominant eight-minute spell.

The Wigan Athletic man first bundled home from just outside the area after a neat backheeled pass from Sanchez.

He owed his second to some more wonderful vision by Sanchez, who picked out Beausejour´s run into the box before playing a perfectly-weighted throughball that the midfielder neatly dinked over the goalkeeper to wrap up an explosive first-half performance.

With the match essentially over as a contest, Chile lowered the tempo in the second half, although Manchester United forward Henriquez was lively up front and twice had efforts well saved.

Iraq had created no chances of note to that point, but they had legitimate claims for a penalty on the hour mark when Ala´a Abdul-Zahra appeared to be fouled by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, but the referee only pointed for a corner.

Sanchez and Beausejour then departed, to a rousing reception from the Chile fans.

Rabello saw a shot rebound off the post before he created the sixth goal with 10 minutes remaining - the winger playing a driven cross from the right that was bundled home by Henriquez.

The result marked ideal preparation for Sampaoli´s side ahead of turning their attentions back to their World Cup qualifying campaign while, by contrast, Iraq have now gone five games without a goal.

International Friendly: Ecuador 0 Spain 2

http://www.youtube.com/w…2sGKwYPZbNs

Goals in either half to Alvaro Negredo and Santi Cazorla saw Spain post a relatively comfortable 2-0 friendly win over Ecuador on Wednesday.

The world and European champions dealt with the altitude in Guayaquil well as Vicente del Bosque´s side produced a professional win despite the absence of several of their stars.

Negredo´s flick in the 25th minute set Spain on their way before Cazorla, who made the most of a rare start, sealed the triumph in the second half.

None of Xavi, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres or Gerard Pique were involved in South America for Spain, but Del Bosque did give new Manchester City signing Negredo a chance to lead the line up front.

Ecuador picked a strong side that relied heavily on the attacking instincts of Felipe Caicedo and Joao Rojas, but they were quickly on the back foot.

Spain were inches away from scoring after just three minutes as they carved open the Ecuador defence with a trademark passing move.

Silva was the unlucky player, beating Ecuador goalkeeper Maximo Banguera with a scuffed left-foot effort, only to see it hit the woodwork and bounce away to safety.

Negredo volleyed over shortly after, before players and fans stopped during the 11th minute to pay their respects to Christian Benitez, who wore the same number for Ecuador.

The striker died last month of heart failure, aged just 27, and his memory was warmly applauded while the capacity crowd sung his nickname – ´Chucho´ – loudly.

Caicedo and Rojas combined well on more than one occasion for Ecuador but they lacked the cutting edge to threaten Spain.

Andres Iniesta hit the post in the 22nd minute with a 20-yard effort from distance and it was a warning sign Ecuador did not heed.

Just three minutes later – after Caicedo wasted a free header - and Negredo put them into the lead, producing an outrageous backheel flick after sublime build-up work from Cazorla.

Cazorla initially saw his 20-yard effort sting the palms of Banguera, before scurrying to the loose ball and cutting back across the face of goal.

And Negredo got to the ball at the near post first, flicking into the back of the net to give Spain the early advantage.

At the other end, Gabriel Achilier nodded a free-kick wide while Segundo Castillo forced a good save from Iker Casillas from 20 yards, but Spain were well worth their half-time lead.

Del Bosque removed Negredo, Iniesta and Silva at the break, with Thiago Alcantara, Jesus Navas and Fernando Llorente introduced in their place.

Casillas also left the pitch early in the second half, replaced by Victor Valdes, as Cristian Tello curled an effort wide in the first meaningful action of the second half.

Ecuador slowly worked themselves into the match and they should have equalised in the 61st minute, only for Enner Valencia to head onto the crossbar.

After Caicedo burst down the channel and created space, he turned and pulled back for substitute Christian Noboa, who saw his excellent cross find Valencia.

But although Valdes was beaten, the woodwork was not, and Spain delivered the ultimate sucker-punch one minute later.

Cazorla was the scorer, benefiting from Tello´s neat flick before running into the penalty area and driving a right-footed finish past Banguera.

Ecuador had a few half-chances to pull a goal back but lacked quality in the final third, while Llorente nodded wide from a Navas cross when he should have done better.

Spain deserved victory, though, with a disciplined and organised performance sure to please manager Del Bosque.

For Ecuador, the result was far from ideal, with crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers ahead against Colombia and Bolivia next month.

International Friendly: Venezuela 2 Bolivia 2

http://www.youtube.com/w…yaEQNcLaH8g

Venezuela will go into their crucial September World Cup qualifiers in decent form after drawing 2-2 against Bolivia on Wednesday.

Josef Martinez gave hosts Venezuela a 16th-minute lead with a fine goal at the Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo.

Rudy Cardozo levelled just moments later with a cracking free-kick before the teams traded goals in the second half.

Jose Chavez had put Bolivia ahead for the first time in the 71st minute, but his effort was cancelled out by substitute Yohandry Orozco late on.

Venezuela sit sixth in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying for Brazil 2014 and face crucial matches against Chile and Peru in September.

Cesar Farias´ men are aiming to finish ahead of Uruguay and secure the play-off place in South America.

Bolivia are second bottom and unlikely to qualify ahead of clashes with Paraguay and Ecuador.

The hosts made a strong start and took the lead through FC Thun attacker Martinez.

The 20-year-old used his pace to get in behind the Bolivia defence and, after beating two defenders on the left side of the area, placed his finish into the bottom corner.

But their lead did not last long, with Bolivia back on level terms thanks to Cardozo.

The Bolivar midfielder curled in a delightful 25-yard free-kick past a helpless Daniel Hernandez to make it 1-1.

Chavez looked to have won the encounter for Bolivia with 19 minutes remaining, but Orozco, introduced in the 62nd minute, ensured the spoils were shared with his effort three minutes from time.

International Friendly: Dominican Republic 0 Costa Rica 4

http://www.youtube.com/w…2hRQ0jm2dNE

Costa Rica have warmed up for September´s crucial World Cup qualifier against the United States with a 4-0 win over the Dominican Republic.

The Costa Ricans were guilty of some wasteful finishing despite dominating the first half, with the sides going to the break scoreless at the Estadio Marcos Henriquez on Wednesday.

But Jorge Luis Pinto´s side showed their class in the second half as a brace from AIK´s Celso Borges and late goals from Pablo Herrera and Mauricio Castillo completed the rout.

Borges kicked things off three minutes after the break when he was sent clear in the box and finished clinically with a low drive inside the far post.

The crafty midfielder added a second 20 minutes from time before the visitors´ dominance was rewarded with Herrera (76th) and Castillo (86th) getting in on the act before full-time.

The result goes some way to making up for Costa Rica´s disappointing showing at the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Honduras.

Currently second in CONCACAF qualifying for next year´s World Cup, Pinto´s troops will play two crucial qualifiers next month which will go a long way to determining if they get to Brazil.

They host group leaders USA on September 7 before going on the road four days later to take on the winless Jamaica.

International Friendly: Mexico 4 Ivory Coast 1

http://www.youtube.com/w…IcL6b1KwOx0

Mexico have recorded a comfortable 4-1 win over the Ivory Coast in their international friendly in New Jersey on Wednesday.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finalists scored three times in the first half to claim the impressive victory at the MetLife Stadium.

Jose Manuel de la Torre´s men capitalised on two defensive mistakes by the Ivory Coast in the first half.

Arthur Boka scored an own goal and Oribe Peralta netted a brace before a much-improved Ivory Coast pulled a goal back through Didier Drogba on the hour mark.

Angel Reyna added to the scoreline with a late effort.

It was good preparation for Mexico, who face Honduras and the United States in vital World Cup qualifiers in September.

Mexico sit third in the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifying and can cement their spot in the top three with two wins.

After a strong start, they were handed the opener by the Ivory Coast in the 11th minute.

Boka gave Boubacar Barry no chance as he diverted a cross past his own goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

Peralta scored the first of his two goals on 28 minutes after a dreadful back pass from Jean-Jacques Gosso.

Gosso´s pass lacked power and was well read by Peralta, whose first-time effort went into the roof of the net from just inside the area.

When he completed his brace in first-half added time, the result was decided.

After a neat team move, Giovani dos Santos crossed for Peralta to head in from close range and make it 3-0.

Drogba, who came on at half-time, pulled a goal back for the Ivory Coast on 62 minutes, sending Jose de Jesus Corona the wrong way from the penalty spot.

But Mexico sealed an impressive win in additional time as Reyna clinically finished into the bottom corner.

Mexico 4-1 Ivory Coast: El Tri player ratings

El Tri was almost unrecognizable from recent games on Wednesday, as it demolished a poor Ivory Coast 4-1 in New Jersey. Gone were the inhibitions, the negative tactics and the inability to put the ball in the back of the net. Instead, Mexico looked like a team that had played together before and worked to a plan.

A lot of the credit has to go to Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre´s change of formation to a loose 4-3-3. In central midfield, Gerardo Torrado protected the back four, Fernando Arce got up and down the field and debutant Christian Gimenez was charged with linking play and supporting striker Oribe Peralta.

The team pressed high up the pitch, was much more varied in its attacking angles and solid at the back.

The player ratings follow, but what stood out as much as the individual performances was the cohesion within the team unit as a whole.

Player ratings (Out of 10, 10 = best):

Jesus Corona, GK -- 6: Not called into action very much, but was an assured presence between the posts. Came out quickly to smother an attack in the 41st minute and made another decent save in the 80th.

Severo Meza, RB -- 7: A solid performance that might well have earned Meza the start against Honduras next month. Combined well with Giovani Dos Santos down the right and was sharp in the tackle.

Diego Reyes, CB -- 8: In the 90th minute, Reyes did a step-over and delivered the cross for Angel Reyna’s goal. It was a moment of magic in a performance of high quality from Reyes, combining an ability to step out of defense and play the ball with basic tackling and reading of the game, all essential ingredients at international level.

Hector Moreno, CM -- 7: Showed a good understanding with Reyes and made an important block in the 51st when it looked like Ivory Coast might score. The only blotch was giving away a needless free kick on the edge of the penalty area in the 59th.

Carlos Salcido, LB -- 6: There are those who doubt whether Salcido now has the speed to play left back for El Tri in a World Cup. But on Wednesday the Tigres player did his bit to prove them wrong, linking up well and pushing forward in a generally positive display.

Gerardo Torrado, DM -- 6: Much criticized, but did his job well against Ivory Coast, playing a deep covering role in central midfield. Does the unseen dirty work well, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was the player who wrestled possession off Ivory Coast and launched the attack that led to Mexico’s third.

Fernando Arce, CM -- 6: Brought the consistency and energy of his displays with Tijuana to the national team without any glitch. Arce gets the ball moving quickly -- a skill that has been missing for Mexico -- and when he isn’t in possession is a constant menace with his harrying of the opposition.

Christian Gimenez, AM -- 6: A positive debut from the Argentinian-born Mexican. There was no spectacular, headline-grabbing goal, but Gimenez shifted the play well, fought hard and showed he is very much in contention for a starting place for El Tri, especially with his ability to play in multiple positions.

Giovani Dos Santos, RW -- 7: The Villarreal forward caused problems down the right and is on top form heading into the start of the Spanish season. Dos Santos set up Mexico’s third with a fine run and cross.

Angel Reyna, LW -- 8: The spark of a lot of Mexico’s newfound fire in the attacking third. Reyna got a well-deserved goal in the last minute of the game and had a hand in both Mexico’s first and third goals. It made you wonder why he hadn’t played a single minute for El Tri all summer.

Oribe Peralta, FW -- 8: It shouldn’t be in any doubt, but if it was, Peralta once again proved he is a top-class striker who is legitimately pushing Javier Hernandez for the center forward position with El Tri. For the first goal, he pounced on a loose pass in a similar play as that opener in the Olympic final and nodded in his second at the near post. Aside from the goals, Peralta’s work rate was top-notch.

Substitutes:

Damian Alvarez (for Dos Santos, 56) -- 5: Didn’t provide the same threat as the other wingers on display.

Jesus Zavala (Torrado, 63) -- 5: The Monterrey man was steady in the center of midfield.

Torres Nilo (for Salcido, 63) -- 6: Coped well with the threat Ivory Coast provided.

Raul Jimenez (for Peralta, 67) –- 5: Didn’t look as sharp as Peralta and wasted a couple of decent opportunities.

Marco Fabian (for Gimenez, 77) – N/A: Not on the pitch long enough to warrant a grade.

Miguel Layun (for Meza, 78) – N/A: Not on the pitch long enough to get a grade.