A fine first half display by Mexico set them up for a 3-0 victory over a comparatively inexperienced New Zealand combination at the Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver on June 1, as the countries clashed on neutral territory for the second time in just over a year, this time watched by 45,401 fans. It wasn’t until the second spell, following a couple of personnel changes and a tactical rethink, that the All Whites began to look competitive, but the horse had long since bolted by the time Ricki Herbert’s men had saddled up, ready to race. Indeed, the Mexicans hit the ground running right from referee Terry Vaughn’s first whistle. Inside the first two minutes, they fired their first shot in anger, Israel Castro steering his shot beyond the right-hand angle of Glen Moss’ goal after working a slick one-two with the outstanding Pablo Barrera. The winger, in tandem with overlapping fullback Efrain Juarez, had the run of the right flank throughout the first half, the duo exploiting the outnumbered and exposed Michael Fitzgerald at every opportunity as New Zealand persevered with a 3-4-3 formation which invited the Mexicans to attack down both wings at will. The CONCACAF Gold Cup holders, for whom this match served as their final preparation game for the 2011 version of that tournament, took full advantage of New Zealand’s flimsy structure, and had the ball in the net in the tenth minute, only for Aldo De Nigris’ effort to be ruled out by the offside flag. Three minutes later, the same player was in again, after Castro and Barrera had combined with Giovanni Dos Santos to unhinge the All Whites’ defence. Moss saved at the feet of the striker, and thwarted him again seven minutes later, after an awful Simon Elliott back-pass from half-way, intended for the ‘keeper, was gleefully swooped upon by the Mexican number nine. De Nigris persisted after Moss’ close quarters denial, only to find Ivan Vicelich had got back in time to cover his prone team-mate and clear the striker’s goal-bound shot to safety. A Mexican goal was inevitable, however, and it duly arrived in the 22nd minute. Central defensive duo Francisco Rodriguez and Hector Moreno sparked the move, with captain Gerardo Torrado playing a neat one-two with Andres Guardado before releasing Carlos Salcido on the overlap down the left. The fullback was confronted by Michael Boxall, but spotted Guardado surging up inside him and played a delightful pass into the stride of the midfielder, who swept in a low cross from the by-line. Moss parried it, but straight to the feet of Dos Santos, who emphatically despatched a shot high into the net from six yards. 1-0 to Mexico, and so nearly two three minutes later. Juarez and Barrera rampaged down the right once more, with the latter driving in a cross to the near post. Dos Santos arrived bang on cue, but guided his effort wide of the mark under pressure from Vicelich. The second goal was on the cards, however, and on the half-hour Mexico scored it in stylish fashion. Barrera was at its heart, twisting and turning Fitzgerald and Winston Reid this way and that as he made in-roads down the right from half-way, before slipping a pass to Torrado. The captain clipped the ball into the penalty area for Dos Santos, whose control of the ball, on the outside of his left foot, was exquisite. It allowed him to turn away from Vicelich and sweep past both Andy Boyens and the diving figure of Moss before running on to tap the ball into an empty net. And still they pressed. Barrera again led the charge in the 36th minute before feeding the overlapping

Juarez. He pulled the ball back from the by-line into the stride of Castro, whose first-time twenty-five yarder brought a superb save out of Moss. Unsurprisingly, the goalkeeper could only parry this Mexican missile, but his cat-like reflexes were such that before the incoming De Nigris could capitalise on the opening, Moss was blocking the ball at the striker’s feet - a brilliant piece of goalkeeping. Two minutes before half-time, Mexico scored a deserved third goal to kill the game off as a contest. The All Whites had enjoyed a few decent spells of possession in the half, but one thing New Zealand does not do well football-wise is cherish the ball - it is all too easily yielded because players lack the patience and/or technical prowess to maintain possession for lengthy spells. It was certainly the case here, where the taking of a wrong option under pressure gifted possession to Torrado. He instantly fed Barrera, who had come inside off the right flank, and presented the ball on a plate to Guardado as he got in behind the New Zealand rearguard once more. A swept cross to the near post was swept home by De Nigris - 3-0. Both teams rang the changes at half-time, Mexico making four substitutions to New Zealand’s three, and revealing their hand by withdrawing Barrera and Dos Santos - the second half would be one of holding what they had, rather than running riot at the All Whites’ expense. Not that there was any guarantee that would happen, with New Zealand reverting to a 4-4-2 formation which blocked off the avenues down which Mexico had run amok during the first forty-five minutes. David Mulligan’s introduction certainly shored up the right flank, and offered an attacking element as well - he was a central figure in New Zealand’s first attack of note in the match, ten minutes into the second spell. Tim Brown secured possession near half-way and picked out Costa Barbarouses with a pass. The young striker duly steered the sphere into the stride of Mulligan, whose curling cross found Chris Wood lurking unmarked beyond all-comers just inside Mexico’s penalty area. The striker’s effort flew narrowly past the post, a warning the Mexicans duly heeded. They responded three minutes later via the game’s most lively player in the second spell, half-time substitute Christian Bermudez. His stinging twenty-five yarder warmed the gloves of Moss, while from his corner three minutes from time, Mexico’s only other opportunity of note in the second spell saw Rodriguez rattle the crossbar with a piledriver. The All Whites mustered just one other opening of note in the second spell, half-way through the half. Chris Killen’s quick free-kick brought Mulligan into play once more, with his measured cross being met on the volley by Jeremy Brockie. The ball fizzed over the bar by a margin far closer than that evident between the teams in the first forty-five minutes, New Zealand’s display providing ample evidence that they’ve plenty of work to do if they intend repeating their exploits of the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign on the road to Brazil 2014. Mexico: Ochoa; Juarez, Rodriguez, Moreno (Duenas, 61), Salcido; Barrera (Bermudez, 46), Castro (Zavala, 46), Torrado (booked, 52), Guardado (Hernandez, 46); De Nigris, Dos Santos (Reyna, 46) All Whites: Moss; Boyens (Sigmund, 70), Vicelich, Reid; Boxall (Mulligan, 46 (booked, 52)), Elliott (Clapham, 70), Brown, Fitzgerald (Brockie, 46); Barbarouses, Smeltz (Killen, 46), Wood (McGlinchey, 64) Referee: Terry Vaughn (USA)