Snak

Uruguay Primera Division Wrap: Wanderers go top

Wanderers prevailed 3-2 over Juventud on Sunday to rise to the top of the Uruguay Primera Division, while Penarol´s poor start continued.

Matias Santos and Sergio Blanco scored the decisive goals for Wanderers, who came from behind to win at Juventud´s Estadio Municipal Parque Artigas.

The victory took Wanderers to 10 points from four rounds and saw the capital club claim top spot in the table, ahead of Fenix on goals scored.

Fenix were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Defensor Sporting on Sunday to end their perfect start to the season.

Wanderers took the lead in the fourth minute when Gaston Rodriguez beat Juventud goalkeeper Ignacio Barrios with a shot that deflected in off the post.

But having hit the front, Wanderers let the hosts back into the contest, giving the ball away twice in the lead-up to Juventud´s 26th-minute equaliser.

A corner found defender Diego Rodriguez to take Juventud level, while the home side edged ahead eight minutes later when Jonathan Blanes scored from the spot after Jaime Baez had been fouled in the penalty area.

A red card to Juventud midfielder Rodrigo Viega just before half-time changed the game, however, with Wanderers overrunning the hosts after the break.

Santos equalised in the 67th minute, while Blanco took advantage of a defensive error to score the winner with 10 minutes remaining.

At the Estadio Centenario on Sunday, Penarol were denied their second win of the Clausura campaign after Racing held the 2012/13 champions to a 1-1 draw.

Penarol hit the front 10 minutes before half-time through Javier Toledo´s header but a rapid counter-attack by Racing in the 71st minute ensured the visitors claimed a point.

Racing got the ball out to Cristian Tabo on the left flank and the 20-year-old released Luis Gorocito into the box before the striker finished from a tight angle.

The draw leaves Penarol in seventh position with five points from three games.

In other results on Sunday, River Plate won 1-0 at Liverpool and Cerro Largo defeated El Tanque Sisley 2-1.

Earlier in the weekend, Nacional slipped to third after being stunned 2-0 at home by Danubio, while Rentistas thrashed Cerro 4-1 and Sud America edged out Miramar Misiones 1-0

mål

https://www.youtube.com/…QAzZJQM0ZQE

Chile Primera Division Wrap: Colo Colo extend lead

Colo Colo survived a late flurry from Palestino to win 2-1 on Sunday and claim a four-point lead atop the Chile Primera Division.

Juan Delgado and Esteban Paredes scored for Colo Colo in the opening 20 minutes but a 90th-minute penalty from Palestino´s Sergio Lopez ensured the league leaders had a nervous finish.

Sunday´s victory took Colo Colo to 22 points after eight rounds with the 29-time Chilean champions still undefeated in the Clausura campaign.

O´Higgins are the only other undefeated club so far this season and sit second on 18 points, while Universidad Catolica are third, just ahead of Deportes Iquique on goal difference (both 16 points).

At Palestino´s Estadio Santa Laura, Colo Colo stunned the home side in just the fourth minute with a nice move down the right-hand side, which was finished off by Delgado.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 19th minute thanks to another cross from the right wing, which picked out a charging Paredes and the veteran midfielder headed the ball home.

Palestino worked hard in the second half but first managed to score in the final minute when Lopez was tripped in the area and then converted the subsequent spot-kick himself.

The win was Colo Colo´s fifth in a row, while Palestino, who led the Primera Division earlier in the season, have one victory in their past four matches to sit fifth on 14 points.

O´Higgins leapfrogged Catolica into second on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Universidad.

Pablo Calandria put O´Higgins ahead just past the half-hour mark but the home side were unable to wrap up victory until the first minute of second-half stoppage time when Yerko Opazo scored.

Catolica´s hopes of equalising were severely weakened when midfielder Milovan Mirosevic was sent off in the 78th minute.

A hat-trick from Manuel Villalobos saw Deportes Iquique come from two goals down at half-time to win 3-2 at home to Antofagasta, while in another high-scoring encounter; Audax Italiano drew 3-3 with Universidad de Chile.

Santiago Wanderers defeated Union La Calera 1-0, Cobresal trumped Cobreloa 3-0, Everton won 3-1 away to Union Espanola, Huachipato edged out Nublense 1-0 and Rangers were held to a scoreless draw by Universidad Concepcion.

mål

http://www.cdf.cl/videos/

Colombia Primera A Wrap: Top two slip up

The top two clubs in the Colombia Primera A both lost at home in round seven, opening up the Apertura championship race.

League leaders Santa Fe suffered their first defeat of the campaign, losing 1-0 to Millonarios, while second-placed Atletico Nacional succumbed to La Equidad 2-1.

http://www.youtube.com/w…Xkh-pdEcieE

https://www.youtube.com/…yHs0X2qofTo

Santa Fe and Nacional´s losses saw the top six clubs finish the weekend within two points of each other, as Once Caldas, Junior, Boyaca Chico and La Equidad all won.

At the Estadio Nemesio Camacho on Saturday, Millonarios won thanks to Andres Cadavid´s 42nd-minute goal with the 28-year-old defender side-footing the ball into the net from Dayro Moreno´s driven cross, after a corner from the visitors was partially cleared by Santa Fe.

Millonarios moved up to seventh with 11 points after extending their unbeaten streak to four games, while Santa Fe remain on 16 at the top of the standings.

Nacional missed the opportunity to move ahead of Santa Fe later on Saturday as they failed to reel in La Equidad in the second half at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot.

After a goalless first half in Medellin, La Equidad took advantage of a defensive error two minutes after the break to open the scoring.

Nacional defender Alexis Henriquez missed a cross from La Equidad´s Fredy Hinestroza and the ball found Leonardo Villagra, who set up Jose Moreno to score off the post.

La Equidad´s second goal came in the 58th minute with Hinestroza scoring from the rebound after Villagra´s initial shot was saved by Nacional goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla.

Diego Arias´ stunning long-range free-kick in the 78th minute gave the home side some hope of a draw.

But as the minutes passed by, Nacional´s frustration increased with Arias receiving a red card in the 94th minute.

Nacional remain second on 15 points, ahead of Once Caldas on goal difference with the latter beating Deportes Tolima 3-0 on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/…HYEJvqLHpH4

Junior moved up to 15 points with a 1-0 win against Deportivo Cali, while Boyaca Chico completed the quartet of clubs a point behind Santa Fe with a 3-2 triumph over Uniautonoma.

http://www.youtube.com/w…93EXN-C37Rg

https://www.youtube.com/…GbOsXYP8jaM

In other results in Colombia´s top tier, Atletico Huila defeated Alianza Petrolera 3-0, Fortaleza drew 2-2 with Patriotas Boyaca, Envigado won 2-1 at Deportivo Pasto and Itagui completed a 1-1 draw with Medellin.

https://www.youtube.com/…rRxzZTWQXss

https://www.youtube.com/…xCWmltyYcBc

https://www.youtube.com/…a-yy13JKjF4

https://www.youtube.com/…PnVUMU6nRw8

Liga MX Wrap: Leon blitz Santos Laguna

Leon blitzed Santos Laguna in the first half to set up their 4-2 win and stretch their unbeaten run to four matches.


http://www.youtube.com/w…5Gt1Siu81Gg

In a pulsating first half of football at the Estadio Leon, both teams missed several chances but the hosts still managed to build a match-winning lead, scoring four times.

While Santos Laguna struck twice after the break, Leon held on for victory, their second in a row in Liga MX.

Leon moved up to seventh spot in the Mexican league table with 11 points, just ahead of Chiapas on goal difference, while Santos Laguna (10 points) dropped out of the Liga MX finals positions to sit ninth.

It took just eight minutes for Leon to hit the front on Saturday with Elias Hernandez cutting inside onto his right foot and curling the ball inside the far post.

Matias Britos scored the home side´s second goal in the 19th minute, getting to a long pass first and, despite being upended by a Santos defender, half-volleying the ball into the net.

The game continued in an end-to-end fashion and Carlos Pena struck next for Leon, bursting through the middle of the visiting defence in the 34th minute, evading three opponents and then shooting across Santos goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez to score.

Leon completed a brilliant first half when Miguel Sabah side-footed home in the 45th minute after a right-wing cross somehow evaded two Santos defenders.

After a terrible first-half performance, Santos were handed a glimmer of hope two minutes after the break when substitute Mauro Cejas thrashed the ball home from the edge of the area.

But the visitors were unable to score at a regular enough rate to have a chance of getting back into the contest with Oribe Peralta scoring Santos´ second goal with 20 minutes remaining.

Santos received another blow in the 90th minute when Jonathan Lacerda was shown his second yellow card and sent off.

Liga MX leaders Cruz Azul continued their unbeaten start to the Clausura season with a 3-1 win at Queretaro on Friday.


http://www.youtube.com/w…0PxCTHoP1-A

Cruz Azul lead the league with 22 points, while Toluca (19 points) are second after their 1-0 win over Guadalajara on Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/w…vT0GIbZ2Eiw

http://www.youtube.com/w…-vbVRF5foFM

Third-placed Pumas UNAM rose to 14 points with a 3-1 win at America, while Pachuca (13 points) moved up to fourth after dispatching with Morelia 3-0.

http://www.youtube.com/w…HLTExnQqxcM

America´s third loss in a row saw them drop to fifth with 12 points, just ahead of Guadalajara on goal difference.

In other Liga MX results, Chiapas won 3-0 at Tijuana, Tigres UANL defeated Veracruz 1-0, Monterrey edged out Atlas by the same scoreline and Atlante were held to a scoreless draw by Puebla.

http://www.youtube.com/w…-ijy-WEo91M

http://www.youtube.com/w…eI_y0t4puwM

http://www.youtube.com/w…kr6U1_PBj8A

Saturday: Important wins for Arsenal, Lanús and All Boys

No games on Friday night due to the midweek round meant Round Four kicked off later than usual on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the delay it was an intriguing day’s football in the Primera and kicked off with a cracking contest in Lanús. Still winless the home side faced a dangerous Velez side, who were yet to taste defeat and although it probably could have gone either way it was Lanús who claimed all three points. Goals from Jorge Pereyra Díaz and a Oscar Benítez brace in addition to some fine goalkeeping by Agustín Marchesin were enough to see off Velez’s spirited efforts.

All Boys then welcomed Olimpo to Floresta and surprisingly earned a 1-0 win thanks to Juan Cruz Careaga’s early goal. The match was never likely to be a classic and so it proved but it is a huge first win for All Boys were were starting to look like a side destined for the drop.

Lastly, Mostaza Merlo’s Racing Club travelled to Sarandi to face Arsenal and once again their inability to defend set pieces cost them dearly. Scrappy first half goals from Mariano Echeverría, Ramiro Carrera and Julio Furch rendered Sebastián Saja’s penalty worthless. Three straight defeats now for Racing is a little concerning while Arsenal now look back up to speed.

Lanús 3 – 2 Vélez Sarsfield

http://www.youtube.com/w…bM9vRrnVjlQ

All Boys 1 – 0 Olimpo

http://www.youtube.com/w…oxT_jQHnipE

Arsenal 3 – 1 Racing Club

http://www.youtube.com/w…dXoc8IzfvgU

Bianchi: "Boca debe ganar siempre"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de Boca Juniors, Carlos Bianchi, argumentó hace instantes que su equipo "necesita ganar siempre", tras 1-0 a Estudiantes en La Bombonera.

"Ya necesitábamos ganar el partido pasado. Boca necesita ganar siempre, sino vivimos una semana como la que vivimos. El haber ganado hoy son esas victorias que hacen bien", sostuvo el director técnico, quien fue duramente criticado durante la semana luego de una primera parte del año sin victorias.

Bianchi además agreadeció el apoyo del público xeneize: "Yo sé que la gente de Boca me quiere. Yo sé que aunque la situación no es la ideal, sé que me quieren. Lo único que tengo es palabras de agradecimiento".

Además, el entrenador de Boca Juniors se mostró reconfortado por el respaldo que le tributaron los simpatizantes y sus futbolistas: "¿A quién querés más a tu papá o a tu mamá?, ¿a tu hijo o a tu hija?", comenzó a responder Bianchi tras tomarse un instante para buscar una contestación adecuada cuando en la conferencia de prensa posterior al triunfo por 1-0 ante Estudiantes en La Bombonera lo consultaron acerca de qué apoyo valoraba más.

"A mí me interesa el apoyo de la gente porque es importante, pero también el apoyo de los jugadores porque son ellos los que ponen el hombro en la cancha, yo ya no lo puedo poner", precisó el Virrey, tras la jornada en que su equipo volvió a la victoria y disfrutó de la reaparición de Juan Román Riquelme.

Por otro lado, consideró "una cosa lógica" que el presidente Daniel Angelici advirtiera en la previa del partido ante Atlético de Rafaela que no le temblaría "el pulso" si por el bien del club tuviera que pedirle que diera "un paso al costado".

"Lo que dijo el presidente es una cosa lógica. Si pasa algo en mi casa, si yo tengo que tomar una decisión la tomaré. El presidente tiene que tomar decisiones, no me molesta lo que dijo", precisó.

Berti: "Todos esperábamos terminar esta racha que fue injusta"

ROSARIO -- El entrenador de Newell´s Old Boys, Alfredo Berti, admitió que desde hace tiempo esperaba cortar la racha adversa de 12 partidos sin victorias, a la que calificó como "injusta" luego de doblegar 4-1 a Atlético de Rafaela en el Coloso del Parque de la Independencia.

"Esperábamos todos cortar la racha que fue injusta. El equipo empezó con Boca de buena manera y fuimos mejorando. Por suerte lo pudimos revertir", resaltó el director técnico.

Y agregó: "Al partido lo ganamos porque tuvimos paciencia. El equipo se encontró cómodo, manejamos la pelota y fuimos contundentes".

Newell´s no ganaba desde la fecha 11 del torneo Inicial, ocasión en la que derrotó 1-0 a River Plate en el estadio Marcelo Alberto Bielsa.

"En el futbol no hay misterio, tuvimos un viaje intenso a Medellín y eso nos costó bastante cansancio. En realidad los partidos de Newell´s eran buenos, sólo que no podíamos convertir", argumentó.

En otro orden, destacó que "los jugadores siempre respondieron" desde el primer momento que estuvo en el club y añadió que "en líneas generales están todos bien pensando en el partido del jueves" ante Atlético Nacional, en el Coloso Marcelo Alberto Bielsa.

Por último, Berti, aseguró: "La satisfacción de ganar pasa porque uno trabaja para eso y el equipo afrontó los doce partidos con mucha entereza, en los que recorrimos un camino que nos entristeció porque no podíamos ganar".

Ramón Díaz: "Jugando en este club debés tener personalidad"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de River Plate, Ramón Díaz, le transmitió esta noche públicamente un duro mensaje a sus futbolistas al enfatizar que "jugando en este club debés tener personalidad, carácter y las exigencias son para todos".

"Y más jugando en este club debés tener personalidad, carácter y las exigencias son para todos", sentenció Ramón al atender a los periodistas, a pesar de que se trataba de la medianoche y se acababa de perder ante Colón de Santa Fe 3-1 en el Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, por la cuarta fecha del Torneo Final.

El riojano aclaró que antes de conversar con los periodistas lo hizo con sus jugadores e inclusive anticipó que también hablará con los dirigentes.

De todos modos, ante los rumores de que algunos dirigentes quedaron fastidiosos por el magro desempeño del equipo, adelantó que es él el más enojado de todos por lo que se vio durante los 90 minutos en el escenario santafesino.

"El primer enojado de los que están acá soy yo", precisó el director técnico de los Millonarios. Cuando le preguntaron cuál fue la razón por la que sacó de la formación titular al colombiano Teófilo Gutiérrez en el entretiempo, Ramón fue tajante: " Porque no lo vi como las últimas veces. Yo lo que veo es lo que pienso, lo que siento, y decidí sacarlo".

Además de quejarse por la actitud de su equipo ante los Sabaleros, el adiestrador advirtió que de ninguna manera deben repetir fallas que costaron tan caro en el último semestre de 2013, cuando se quedaron temprano fuera de la lucha por el título y la campaña se tornó pobrísima.

"El campeonato es corto y no queremos pasar por lo del semestre del año pasado. El campeonato es corto, pero tener un mal arranque significa que ya estás al límite de cometer más errores", resaltó Ramón.

Peru

Copa Inca

San Martín y Sporting Cristial lideran las liguillas de la Copa Inca

LIMA -- Un argentino, dos colombianos y un uruguayo marcaron en la goleada del San Martín sobre el César Vallejo por 1-4 que ha garantizado el liderato de la liguilla B de la Copa Inca, primera parte del torneo Descentralizado.

El argentino Carlos Marinelli (m.14), los colombianos Luis Perea (m.20) y Johnnier Montaño (m.55) y el uruguayo Santiago Silva (m.45) establecieron la victoria del San Martín, mientras que el delantero Daniel Chávez marcó el descuento (10´).

En esta segunda jornada de la copa también goleó el Sporting Cristal, por 3-0 al León de Huánuco, y que gracias a ese resultado comparte el liderazgo de la liguilla A con Juan Áurich, que empató 1-1 con Alianza Lima.

El Inti Gas vapuleó a San Simón por 4-0 mientras que Cienciano empató 2-2 con UTC, el mismo marcador final del encuentro entre Unión Comercio y Real Garcilaso.

Melgar ganó a Sport Huancayo por 2-0 y Los Caimanes obtuvieron su primera victoria en primera división sobre Universitario por 1-0.

La Copa Inca, que antecede a la disputa del Apertura y el Clausura, otorgará al primero el pase a la Copa Libertadores del 2015 y al segundo uno en la Copa Sudamericana.




mål

http://www.youtube.com/w…1NpqC5AZi5g

REMEMBERING TOTA´S TIME

As Mexican defender Rafael Marquez prepares for his fourth World Cup, Tri fans recall fondly his earlier appearances. The brutal elbow against US player Kobi Jones in 2002, his early goal in the narrow defeat to Argentina in 2006, and his tying goal against South Africa in 2010. Still, neither Marquez nor Cuauhtemoc Blanco are El Tri´s player who has appeared in the most World Cup tournaments. That distinction belongs to goalkeeper Antonio "Tota" Carbajal. He appeared in five tournaments, but it wasn´t always so pretty.

First, some context. Since the 1990´s, Mexico has been a perpetual "dark horse" at the World Cup. The domestic league is loaded with cash and regularly produces quality players, a handful of whom have shown on bigger European stages. El Tri has advanced to the Round of 16, escaping the group stages, at every tournament since USA 94. They probably would have advanced at Italy 90, but didn´t make the trip: they got caught using overaged players in a youth tournament, and the senior side got banned from qualification.

Still, despite forty years of modest success, things did not always go so well for El Tri. In fact, their appearances at early World Cups were pretty abject. Nevertheless, that dark shadow cannot snuff out the bright light of the career of Antonio Carbajal, legendary goalkeeper.

Born June 7, 1929, in that never-ending stretch of concrete and smog sinking into Lake Texcoco known in Spanish as "El D.F." and English as "Mexico City," he got his start in professional soccer in 1948 for Club Espana. Sadly, the club folded two years later, but he signed on for Club Leon, where he enjoyed a prosperous 16 year career (and two Liga MX titles). He appeared at the 1948 Olympics in London, where Mexico lost in the first round to unheralded South Korea 5-3. Yes, that´s right - they conceded five goals. The game was moderately close at 2:1 up until the 60 minute mark, when a Chung Kook-Chin put Mexico in a steep hole. It was a sign of things to come.

If you look at highlights of Carbajal from the time, he wasn´t a bulky aerial presence like Ricardo Zamora and he may not have possessed the catlike reflexes of an Iker Casillas. Still, he played the angles well and positioned himself smartly. He also stayed back near his line, avoiding any easy lofted goals. His hands were excellent - one could suspect he covered his keeper gloves with glue because he seldom coughed up rebounds. His distribution was also very good for the time - he preferred rolling the ball wide to outside backs as opposed to downfield punts to nobody.

But was he successful? On the one hand, yes. His team qualified and appeared at several World Cups (Brazil 50, Switzerland 54, Sweden 58, Chile 62, and England 66). On the other hand, no. The most recent qualifying campaign aside, for Mexico there has almost always been big divide between their record in CONCACAF and versus the world. It was even more pronounced back then. A look at Carbajal´s stats in qualifying show a stellar record: in 19 games, he won 15, drew 3, and only lost 1. That´s a win percentage of 78%. His World Cup record was the opposite. In 11 games, he lost 8, tied 2, and only won a single game. Mexico conceded 24 goals in those games. That´s a win percentage of .09% and a goals against average of 2.18.

So, you flippantly say, Carbajal was the king of the losers. Is he worth even remembering, let alone celebrating? Context is everything. When a team plays a superior side in soccer, who gets the best workout? The goalie. While Iker Casillas could probably play CandyCrush on his iPhone while tending the net for Spain, Carbajal´s five World Cups for Mexico were sieges. In the 1950 World Cup, Mexico got hammered 4:1 by Yugoslavia and 4:0 by Brazil, but barely lost 2:1 to Switzerland. Fans now and then can look at those scorelines and ask: was the defense or the keeper to blame?

A closer look at the 4:1 loss to Yugoslavia shows where fault lies. Here´s a video. The first goal came from a Mexican defender failing to clear a cross - Carbajal held his line well on the initial cross, and can hardly be faulted for not darting off his line in such a quick turn of events. For the third goal, Mexican defenders fail to close down Zeljko Cajkovski who takes his time and picks a spot before rifling it near post. The first game against host Brazil, the opening game of the tournament and in front of 82,000 fans, had followed a similar script. For the second goal, you could maybe fault Carbajal a bit for allowing a goal across him from a tough angle, but the defense in front of him should never have allowed the shot. The scoreline is bad, but even worse, Brazil hit the post six times. Antonio was only 21 years at the time, the youngest keeper of the tournament. He had beat out veteran Raul Cordoba during qualification to be a starter, but for what?

Confidence is everything, or so they say. After an abominable display, Carbajal could easily have retreated to the shelter of the Mexican league. How many topflight keepers have disappeared after an atrocious howler or a miserable tournament? Instead 1954, Carbajal made the World Cup roster again. However, Mexico again got a rotten draw, facing a group full of powerhouses Brazil and Yugoslavia, and a respectable France. Carbajal also faced competition from within: he was replaced for the first game against Brazil by Salvador Mota, seven years his senior and of Atlante fame. It was a blessing in disguise. Brazil crushed Mexico 5:0.

Brazil´s second and third goals, both from distance, could be chalked up in part to Mota. Thus, Carbajal regained his place for the second game vs. France. At the time, Les Bleus featured legendary striker Raymond Kopa. The game did not start well. In the 19th minute, Mexican defenders allowed Jean Vincent to stroll into the box and pick a low corner. Just after half-time, Mexican defender Raul Cardenas deflected a skipping cross-shot past Carbajal. Still, Mexico did not toss in the towel. In the 54th minute, Jose Lamadrid capitalized on missed defensive header to fire home close and pull Mexico within a goal. In the 85th minute, Mexico looked to have earned its first ever point and a draw when Tomas Balcazar scored. However, it was not meant to be. In the 88th minute, defender Narciso Lopez dove in front of Jean Vincent´s shot in the box and allegedly stopped it with his hand (even though his head was turned). Raymond Kopa calmly sent Carbajal the wrong way, and El Tri would have to wait.

In 1958, Mexico again got a tough lot. They were grouped with hosts Sweden and a very powerful Hungary side. They lost the first game against Sweden 3:0, falling largely to an Agne Simonsson brace. In terms of defense, it was new faces, but similar results. For the first goal, Mexico´s defense failed to cut out a cross and mark a late-rushing Simonsson. The second goal was a penalty kick. The third goal, Simonsson had all day to pick his spot after a basic cutback from a teammate. The second game, though, will go down as Mexico´s first ever point: a 1:1 draw with Wales. Wales looked headed for a win at 1-0, but Jaime Belmonte´s 89th minute goal ensured Mexico shared the spoils. Yes, Mexico then went on to lose 4:0 to Hungary, but, ironically, Wales tied both Sweden and Hungary and advanced after a playoff win over Hungary. Today, we may see Wales as a lightweight (with a handful of stars), but at Sweden 58 they were no pushover.

In Chile 62, Mexico had a strong tournament. They narrowly lost their first game 2:0 to the Brazil of Pele and Garrincha. For long stretches, they actually took the game to Brazil and Carbajal made a few strong saves, including one full-stretch save from a long-distance shot and a reactive save from a point-blank header. The full game is actually available at Youtube. The second game against Spain was even closer. Mexico defended with aplomb for 89 minutes, but lost to a single goal by Joaquin Peiro scored at the 90th minute. Keep in mind this Spanish team featured Paco Gento, Luis Suarez, Ferenc Puskas, and Luis del Sol. They were no pushovers. Yes, the finishing was pretty poor, with lots of shots soaring over the goal, but Carbajal deserves some credit, coming off his line superbly to block a late-running Pachin. In reality,El Tri had lost two games, but was playing quite well. In the final game, they defeated Czechoslovakia 3:1 and earned Mexico it´s first win ever at a World Cup. Even more impressive, they fought back from a goal down to do so.

England ´66 was the last tournament for Carbajal. No longer a spring chicken, he lost his starting place to the excellent Ignacio Calderon (who played his club ball for Chivas). Mexico slugged out a 1:1 draw with France and lost respectably 2:0 to host England in the second game. Still, for the third game vs. Uruguay, the coach, perhaps for sentimental reasons, started Carbajal between the sticks. The result speaks for itself: Mexico failed to score a goal, but kept its first ever clean sheet at a World Cup. For a goalie who had suffered so much, he finally earned a reward and a nice sending off.

You´d have to be blind to not see a significant line of progress in both Carbajal´s game and Mexico from 1950 to 1966. Baby steps, yes. But you have to start somewhere. And you have to count on somebody to stand between the posts. We´ll never know for sure if really did get offered (and turn down) a shot at Real Madrid, but his international career was a testament to either mental toughness or masochism. Probably both. Today, many Tri fans couldn´t even tell you Carbajal´s first name. He´s little more than two answers to World Cup trivia, sharing the records for most total goals conceded and most World Cup tournaments participated in. Still, he started and played on the first Mexican team to win a World Cup match, nick a point off a former champion, and keep a clean sheet. He helped Mexico take the first big step forward, even if it was preceded by quite a few stumbles.