Mexico had plenty of chances early on Wednesday night but couldn’t find the breakthrough. Instead, a Venezuelan team currently ranked 44th in the FIFA rankings dominated a team ranked 15th, earning a 1-0 victory in front of a strongly pro-Mexico crowd.
For the second straight game in the 2024 Copa America at SoFi Stadium, the “home” team failed to live up to expectations. On Monday, Brazil failed to score a goal in a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in front of thousands of yellow-jersey clad spectators. On Wednesday, El Tri lost to Venezuela in what was essentially a home game, as Mexican fans who packed the stadium left in disappointment.
Mexico’s Julian Quiñones was held responsible for a mistake that resulted in a penalty being awarded to Venezuela. The referee didn’t hesitate to award the penalty after Quiñones made an ugly tackle on Venezuela’s John Aramburu in the penalty area. And it was Venezuela’s Salomon Rondon, who plays for Pachuca in Liga MX, who converted the penalty that decided the game.
El Tri opened the tournament with a tough win over Jamaica on Saturday night at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Mexico held on to a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Gerardo Arteaga in the 69th minute, but Edson Alvarez was injured in his opening match while wearing the captain’s armband. Alvarez confirmed his exit from the tournament via social media on Tuesday, with the West Ham star focusing on rehabbing his injured foot.
Venezuela faced no such obstacles in their tournament opener against Ecuador, who secured a somewhat surprising 2-1 victory after Ecuadorian captain Enel Valencia was red-carded for a dangerous play in the penalty area that saw his boot strike Philadelphia Union’s Jose Martinez in the face. Ecuador, playing with one man, conceded two goals in the second half.
Venezuela’s win on Wednesday puts them atop Group B with six points and they’ll advance to the quarterfinals after Sunday’s match against Jamaica. Ecuador beat Jamaica 3-1 earlier on Wednesday and is now second in the group with three points. Mexico needs to win against Ecuador on Sunday to move up to second place and advance to the quarterfinals.
Here’s how the match unfolded:
The live broadcast has ended32 updates
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: Mexico’s Cesar Montes and Venezuela’s Nahuel Ferraresi argue during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group B match between Venezuela and Mexico at SoFi Stadium on June 26, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images) -
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Jimenez struggles
Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo, number 22, watches Mexico forward Santiago Jimenez, number 11, shoot towards goal during the CONMEBOL 2024 Copa America tournament Group B match between Venezuela and Mexico at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP) (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
