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Player Ratings: Mexico 2-1 North Korea
Goal.com's Sergio Tristan rates the players in Mexico's 2-1 win over North Korea.
Mar 18, 2010 8:42:00 AM
By Sergio Tristan
Mexico against 11 North Korean defenders who conceded an entire half of the field worked little to obtain a 2-1 victory in La Comarca.
Mexico
Guillermo Ochoa: 4.0 – Tested twice by the North Koreans. Horrible mistake on the first shot allowed the North Koreans to tie up the game within 10 minutes of the opening goal and the fans began calling for local hero “Oswaldo” immediately. Had a great save on his second test, low crossed shot, but reacted late on the second effort and almost allowed the North Koreans to take another shot.
Johnny Magallon: 6.0 – Looked awkward for most of the first half but saved himself with a brilliant 50 yard run and assist to Javier Hernandez to take the lead in the second half. The Chivas center back still does not look to be at the caliber that made him a definite during the Sanchez and Erikson eras.
Juan Carlos Valenzuela: 6.5 – Played well the entire game and greatly helped Magallon look better than he was actually playing. Tackled hard, left little space, and overall gave a decent performance.
Jorge Torres Nilo: 6.5 – Attacked well from the back but found himself unable to produce in the last 20 meters. Probably not entirely his fault since the cohesion was not there with Alberto Medina. Not tested too much on defense but when tested he responded appropriately and looked quickly to counter.
Oscar Rojas: 4.0 – Missed tackles, slow in attack, and terrible in his first touch Rojas was the worst defender of the night. Gratefully the North Koreans did not attack enough but when they did it was Roja’s side that provided the best avenue for attack.
Braulio Luna: 8.0 – Luna played himself into the World Cup squad today by successfully playing in two different positions and showing the versatility desired by Aguirre. He played on the outside and combined well with Javier Hernandez on a couple of one touches in the first half and played the center midfield role alongside Jona and Noriega in the second. Luna’s ability to cover as a last resort the center of the pitch makes him a lock in for South Africa.
Jonathon Dos Santos: 6.5 – Jona looked solid the first 20-25 minutes of the first half but slowly faded in the offense, albeit maintaining a good defensive posture throughout. Jona started the night nicely by taking a Blanco chip on the chest, nut megging a defender and then shooting within inches of the far post. When he attacks he looks threatening but needs to stay more involved offensively.
Patricio Araujo: 6.0 – El Pato looked strong defensively but was not in tune offensively. Strong in the challenge and recovering the ball well his physical prowess looks promising.
Javier Hernandez: 8.5 – Continues to reaffirm himself as the starting striker for El Tri by scoring the winner, left footed mind you, for Mexico and creating the foul that lead to the Blanco free kick goal. He fought the entire game in minimal space and never tired against at times 4 defenders. His speed was too much for the North Koreans to handle and although shorter he won countless balls in the air.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco: 6.5 – Saved himself with the opening goal but otherwise looked slow and out of sync. It has become more evident that the move to 1A side Veracruz was more detrimental than previously thought and his outside of the pitch commitments are affecting his play. He constantly got in the way of the play instead of helping to create opportunities.
Alberto Medina: 4.0 – Like the guy trying to hard to get the girl, El Venado tried to hard to sell himself to Aguirre. Always taking one too many touches he destroyed more opportunities than created for El Tri. He is timid to the 50/50 challenge and seemed to run into players as he crossed from side to side looking for the ball.
Substitutes:
Miguel Sabah: 4.0 – He only played a half but when North Korea scored and the game was again in the balance he was no where to be found.
Miguel Noriega: n/a
Angel Reyna: 3.0 – Did not contribute to one single attacking play and tended to trip himself up. Horrible first touch contributed to sloppy play. Lacks the caliber to play for El Tri.
Jesus Molina: n/a
Daniel Arreola: n/a
North Korea
Myong Guk Ri: 5.0 – Was not required to do much since his defense played well enough to stop the Mexican attack. However, was completely out of place for the Blanco free kick and provided too much space on the wall side for Blanco to sneak the ball into the net. Although El Chicarito’s goal was hard to stop he did allow it to go through his legs.
Chol Jin Pak: 5.0 - Defended well enough and provided good cover in the air but did not even attempt to pass the midfield line to contribute in the attack. Did get beat by Medina a lot but recovered quickly.
Jong Hyok Cha: 3.0 – Appeared to be injured after a horrible 8 ft drop landing on the small of his back but continued to play until substituted 30 minutes later. Looked like the fall affected his play as he allowed El Chicharito took much space to maneuver the ball. As the captain he should have realized that he was more detrimental with his injury then helpful to his team.
Jun I’ll Ri: 7.0 – Helped fill the gaps left by Cha in the middle and was the more solid of the two center defenders. No fault in first or second goals.
Wang Chon Ri: 6.0 - Moved forward with greater ease than his opposing teammate and he defended well in the back.
Yong Jum Kim: 5.0 – Looked dangerous early on attacking from the width but faded quickly and did not push forward much after the first 10 minutes.
Nam Chol Pak: 7.0 –Played the defense midfield role well and prevented much attack from Jonathon and El Pato. Did not push forward preferring to allow Pak room to roam.
Yun Nam Ji: 7.5 – Probably the best player for North Korea he distributed well and also partnered up top for a couple of long distance shots. Quick to the ball and strong in the 50/50 challenges.
In Guk Mun: 5.0 – Virtually a non factor.
Chol Hyok Jan: 5.0 – Virtually a non factor.
Kum Chol Choe: 6.0 – Scored the equalizer goal but more so based on Memo’s mistake rather than his own virtue. Otherwise he was the first defender on his half of the field and did not push up too much. Gained some confidence after the goal and took some outside shots but nothing threatening.
Substitutes
Kim Lee – n/a
Goal.com
For more coverage of the Mexican national team, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.
Mexico
Guillermo Ochoa: 4.0 – Tested twice by the North Koreans. Horrible mistake on the first shot allowed the North Koreans to tie up the game within 10 minutes of the opening goal and the fans began calling for local hero “Oswaldo” immediately. Had a great save on his second test, low crossed shot, but reacted late on the second effort and almost allowed the North Koreans to take another shot.
Johnny Magallon: 6.0 – Looked awkward for most of the first half but saved himself with a brilliant 50 yard run and assist to Javier Hernandez to take the lead in the second half. The Chivas center back still does not look to be at the caliber that made him a definite during the Sanchez and Erikson eras.
Juan Carlos Valenzuela: 6.5 – Played well the entire game and greatly helped Magallon look better than he was actually playing. Tackled hard, left little space, and overall gave a decent performance.
Jorge Torres Nilo: 6.5 – Attacked well from the back but found himself unable to produce in the last 20 meters. Probably not entirely his fault since the cohesion was not there with Alberto Medina. Not tested too much on defense but when tested he responded appropriately and looked quickly to counter.
Oscar Rojas: 4.0 – Missed tackles, slow in attack, and terrible in his first touch Rojas was the worst defender of the night. Gratefully the North Koreans did not attack enough but when they did it was Roja’s side that provided the best avenue for attack.
Braulio Luna: 8.0 – Luna played himself into the World Cup squad today by successfully playing in two different positions and showing the versatility desired by Aguirre. He played on the outside and combined well with Javier Hernandez on a couple of one touches in the first half and played the center midfield role alongside Jona and Noriega in the second. Luna’s ability to cover as a last resort the center of the pitch makes him a lock in for South Africa.
Jonathon Dos Santos: 6.5 – Jona looked solid the first 20-25 minutes of the first half but slowly faded in the offense, albeit maintaining a good defensive posture throughout. Jona started the night nicely by taking a Blanco chip on the chest, nut megging a defender and then shooting within inches of the far post. When he attacks he looks threatening but needs to stay more involved offensively.
Patricio Araujo: 6.0 – El Pato looked strong defensively but was not in tune offensively. Strong in the challenge and recovering the ball well his physical prowess looks promising.
Javier Hernandez: 8.5 – Continues to reaffirm himself as the starting striker for El Tri by scoring the winner, left footed mind you, for Mexico and creating the foul that lead to the Blanco free kick goal. He fought the entire game in minimal space and never tired against at times 4 defenders. His speed was too much for the North Koreans to handle and although shorter he won countless balls in the air.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco: 6.5 – Saved himself with the opening goal but otherwise looked slow and out of sync. It has become more evident that the move to 1A side Veracruz was more detrimental than previously thought and his outside of the pitch commitments are affecting his play. He constantly got in the way of the play instead of helping to create opportunities.
Alberto Medina: 4.0 – Like the guy trying to hard to get the girl, El Venado tried to hard to sell himself to Aguirre. Always taking one too many touches he destroyed more opportunities than created for El Tri. He is timid to the 50/50 challenge and seemed to run into players as he crossed from side to side looking for the ball.
Substitutes:
Miguel Sabah: 4.0 – He only played a half but when North Korea scored and the game was again in the balance he was no where to be found.
Miguel Noriega: n/a
Angel Reyna: 3.0 – Did not contribute to one single attacking play and tended to trip himself up. Horrible first touch contributed to sloppy play. Lacks the caliber to play for El Tri.
Jesus Molina: n/a
Daniel Arreola: n/a
North Korea
Myong Guk Ri: 5.0 – Was not required to do much since his defense played well enough to stop the Mexican attack. However, was completely out of place for the Blanco free kick and provided too much space on the wall side for Blanco to sneak the ball into the net. Although El Chicarito’s goal was hard to stop he did allow it to go through his legs.
Chol Jin Pak: 5.0 - Defended well enough and provided good cover in the air but did not even attempt to pass the midfield line to contribute in the attack. Did get beat by Medina a lot but recovered quickly.
Jong Hyok Cha: 3.0 – Appeared to be injured after a horrible 8 ft drop landing on the small of his back but continued to play until substituted 30 minutes later. Looked like the fall affected his play as he allowed El Chicharito took much space to maneuver the ball. As the captain he should have realized that he was more detrimental with his injury then helpful to his team.
Jun I’ll Ri: 7.0 – Helped fill the gaps left by Cha in the middle and was the more solid of the two center defenders. No fault in first or second goals.
Wang Chon Ri: 6.0 - Moved forward with greater ease than his opposing teammate and he defended well in the back.
Yong Jum Kim: 5.0 – Looked dangerous early on attacking from the width but faded quickly and did not push forward much after the first 10 minutes.
Nam Chol Pak: 7.0 –Played the defense midfield role well and prevented much attack from Jonathon and El Pato. Did not push forward preferring to allow Pak room to roam.
Yun Nam Ji: 7.5 – Probably the best player for North Korea he distributed well and also partnered up top for a couple of long distance shots. Quick to the ball and strong in the 50/50 challenges.
In Guk Mun: 5.0 – Virtually a non factor.
Chol Hyok Jan: 5.0 – Virtually a non factor.
Kum Chol Choe: 6.0 – Scored the equalizer goal but more so based on Memo’s mistake rather than his own virtue. Otherwise he was the first defender on his half of the field and did not push up too much. Gained some confidence after the goal and took some outside shots but nothing threatening.
Substitutes
Kim Lee – n/a
Goal.com
For more coverage of the Mexican national team, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.
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