Mexico: Ochoa 5’, 21’, Granados 86’

Red cards: Ibanez 31’, Batalla 90+1’ (Argentina)

Man of the match: Ulises Rivas (Mexico)

ABU DHABI // Few countries produce young players the way Argentina and Mexico do these days.

The South American champions and the reigning world champions served up more drama during the opening exchanges of their 2013 Fifa Under 17 World Cup semi-final on Tuesday than most matches managed in 90 minutes.

Mexico’s 3-0 win tells only half the story. Like prize fighters, they had gone at each other from the first whistle.

In the third minute, it was almost a dream start for Argentina, as Sebastian Driussi was fouled by left-back Salomon Wbias. But Mexico goalkeeper Raul Gudino brilliantly saved Driussi’s spot kick.

Two minutes later, it was 1-0 Mexico, with Ivan Ochoa scoring at close range from Wbias’s header.

In the eighth minute, chants of “Ole, ole” began to ring around Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

A tad early perhaps, but this was a confident Mexico, unrecognizable from the team that was humiliated 6-1 by Nigeria in their opening group match. Clearly, they had no intention of giving up their title without a fight.

Argentina came back, with Joaquin Ibanez, arguably their standout player, leading the charge. But it was Mexico who struck the next blow, and it had a sense of deja vu. Another long ball, another flick-on, another Ochoa finish; 2-0 and only 21 minutes had lapsed.

Ten minutes later, the match was practically over when Ibanez deservedly was sent off for an ugly tackle on Omar Govea.

One man and two goals down, Argentina were on the ropes. Mexico could pick them off at will. “Ole, ole”, again at half time.

To their credit, Argentina came out swinging, with Driussi in particular desperate for redemption. Gudino, “a champion” according to Argentina’s gracious coach, Humberto Grondona, stood firm.

Some of Mexico’s football was joyful. Ochoa’s two stealthily taken goals. Luis Hernandez’s left- wing trickery. Govea’s dazzling feet. And, at the heart of it all, dictating the tempo, their brilliant captain, Ulises Rivas.

In the 86th minute came the knock-out punch – substitute Marco Granados finishing off an excellent move, and the match, in one swoop. Mexico were in the final once again.

To compound their misery, Argentina had goalkeeper Augusto Batalla sent off for a professional foul in the dying minutes of the game. By then, it mattered little.

Grondona believed the match hinged on one moment.

“For me, the missed penalty was the turning point,” he said. “It would have been a different match if we scored. Even with a player down, you saw no big difference between the teams in the second half. Even great teams have bad days. Today, we had a bad day.”

For Mexico coach Raul Gutierrez, only facts counted.

“Saying ‘what if’ is a problem,” he said. “You can never tell what could have happened. What is a fact is that the penalty save was decisive.”

The “group of death” produced three semi-finalists with Mexico, Argentina and Nigeria.

“The fact that three of the four made the semis proves the quality of the teams,” Gutierrez said.

On Friday, a joint-record third title is within Mexico’s reach.

“From the start, we targeted the final,” Gutierrez said. “Now we are looking to win it.”

Only mighty Nigeria stand in their way.

akhaled@thenational.ae

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