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Mexico defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Wednesday, but it wasn't enough to fend off World Cup elimination

Hirving Lozano sat glum and alone in the dugout when the match ended, a training bib draped over his head. Cesar Montes rested on his back in the middle of the pitch, hands covering his eyes. Edson Alvarez wept in a post-match TV interview.

Heartbreak. Complete and utter heartbreak.

Mexico would have felt deep pain regardless of the elimination method, but this particular way of going out of the World Cup felt extra cruel.

After squandering each and every chance given to them in the first two games of the group stage, El Tri finally threatened in the attack. They scored twice in the second half to inspire hope, but couldn't get the third that would have given them a tiebreaker advantage over Poland in Group C.

A 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia that exhilarated their fans most of the way was ultimately irrelevant.

Manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino's tenure is likely over, and it will be seen as a failure. Despite the fight back, despite the hope, the 2022 World Cup was a grand disappointment for El Tri, who expected to be around a lot longer than this.

This is their first group stage exit since 1978.

It's the hope that kills you, they say, and, at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday night, Mexico's World Cup dreams were killed in painful fashion.

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  The Winners

  The neutral:

  What drama that was.

  This is what the World Cup is about, isn’t it? Pure, absolute chaos. Permutations and calculations galore.

  It was edge-of-your-seat stuff, really. At Lusail Stadium, you could hear the crowd simmer when news of Argentina’s goals against Poland reached those in attendance. It was no doubt the same at Stadium 974.

  For about 30 minutes, it all lay in the balance with everything from goals to yellow cards coming into play. 

  One more Mexico goal would have been enough. It never came, which will serve as a gut punch to fans of El Tri. But, for anyone watching without a horse in the race, there was no way to take your eyes off of it.

  The drama of the World Cup, everyone. Can you beat it?

  Luis Chavez:

  Good God what a goal.

  You’ll see few better, especially when you take the circumstances into account. To hit that ball from that far into the goal like that? Goodness gracious.

  As Chavez lined up from well past 30 yards, few could have predicted what he would do. How could you? How could you expect a free-kick so audacious?

  It was a deserved moment in the sun for Chavez, who has been in fantastic form dating back to the Liga MX playoffs. And that was his first-ever senior international goal. Can you imagine a better one?

  It as all for nothing, ultimately, as Mexico couldn't get the result needed to advance. However, Chavez did well for himself in Qatar. European clubs, take notice. Mexico have quite a player on their hands.

  Poland:

  In the end, the biggest benefactor of the result at Lusail Stadium was the team on the losing end at Stadium 974.

  Poland survived by the skin of their teeth, barely edging Mexico on goal difference.

  Robert Lewandowski and Co. have moved on at Mexico's expense as El Tri will look back at the missed opportunities and unrealised potential of it all after losing out by the slimmest of margins.

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  The Losers

  Gerardo Martino:

  As the final whistle blew, an orange drink was hurled in the direction of Gerardo Martino. And so his tenure moved toward what is seemingly an inevitable end clouded in failure.

  It's wild to think back to the optimism that came with his hiring in 2019. The former Argentina and Barcelona coach was fresh off an MLS title. He'd managed Lionel Messi and now he was taking on El Tri.

  Ironically, it was Messi who helped doom Martino as his Mexico side failed to escape their group for the first time in more than 40 years. Mexico will look back on the Argentina loss perhaps most of all wondering what could have been.

  The fans turned on Martino long before Wednesday. His roster selections, tactics and overall relationship with the public soured prior to the squad's arrival in Qatar. But he had a chance to salvage it all with a strong performance at the World Cup.

  It didn't happen.

  Saudi Arabia:

  Talk about a missed opportunity…

  After beating Argentina in their opener, Saudi Arabia had it in the palms of their hands. A point, any sort of points, against Poland or Mexico could have sent them through. They couldn’t find it. 

  Saudi Arabia squandered such an opportunity to stun the world by advancing. Few would have pegged them to do so, but they had their chance, didn’t they?

  Their crowd support was incredible as their fans went toe-to-toe with El Tri's, but, from the moment Chavez’s Golazo hit the back of the net, they’d accepted their fate. They rose again briefly for Salem Al-Dawsari's goal, but it was too late.

  A tough one to take for a team that provided one of the best upsets in tournament history. It’s a shame they couldn’t build on it to turn it into something bigger. They captured lightning in a bottle for just that one game against Argentina, but, as they say, lightning doesn't strike twice.

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  Mexico ratings: Defense

  Guillermo Ochoa (6/10):

  Didn't have to do much and, realistically, the goal he conceded didn't matter.

  Jesus Gallardo (7/10):

  One of Mexico's best players at this tournament. Was good once again as he got forward well.

  Hector Moreno (6/10):

  Solid enough as he mostly dealt with infrequent Saudi Arabia counters.

  Cesar Montes (7/10):

  Assisted the opening goal with a fantastic flick off his heel and was solid at the back.

  Jorge Sanchez (7/10):

  Similar to Gallardo, got forward well as El Tri pushed for goals

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  Midfield

  Edson Alvarez (6/10):

  A physical performance that bordered on careless. Was withdrawn late as Mexico needed more attackers.

  Luis Chavez (8/10):

  An absolutely electric goal from a player who certainly raised his profile in Qatar despite his team's failings.

A number of Manchester City fans are livid with their rumoured third kit for the 2021/22 season.

The Citizens are enjoying a fantastic campaign – they are within touching of distance of claiming the Premier League title, while they have one foot in the Champions League final after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final. They have already secured the Carabao Cup as well, meaning they could end the season with three trophies.

Their attire for the season have been made by Puma, their kit provider since 2019. Next season is already not too far away, and plans are already being made for the shirts they will wear in 2021/22 as a rumoured City third kit for the upcoming campaign has been leaked. Remarkably, it does not seem to contain the club’s crest.

A photo of the reported new kit was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters, some of whom have dubbed it “terrible”. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these Man City fans had to say about the kit leak

“Hate this so much, wish we can go back to Nike”

Credit: @jason23ortega

“Is this club trying to punish we the fans or what”

Credit: @chetambe_

“That looks terrible”

Credit: @FUTJPO

“This can’t happen…. there’s no badge man!”

Credit: @danthedrummer12

It’s like @PUMA are trying to outdo themselves in terms of dreadfulness. Got to say, they’re knocking it out the park every single time.

Credit: @phil_ribchester

“This makes me feel ill”

Credit: @Ethan4707

In other news, some Man City fans are unhappy about this Raheem Sterling news.

Pep Guardiola takes his side back to his former club for a charity fund-raiser in aid of former team-mate Juan Carlos Unzue

Any friendlies once the season has started are extremely rare, particularly for leading clubs like Manchester City who plan for a long campaign by attacking every cup competition.

Last season City played 58 competitive matches, 61 the season before and 59 the previous year, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping and expecting for a similar amount this time.

But he’s also mindful about taking care of players who have such a heavy workload and with the added requirement of international football – even greater this year because of the mid-season World Cup in Qatar, so it might seem strange to add an extra unnecessary fixture.

However, the City boss was delighted to take his squad to Spain ahead of a charity fund-raiser at Camp Nou in support of former Barcelona goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzue, who was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) two years ago.

Guardiola has spoken about the benefits of the trip and GOAL looks at who will gain from another match and how it could help their challenge for silverware this season…

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  Luzon Foundation

  First and foremost, the most important benefactor from the game is the foundation which carries out research into the incurable degenerative neurological condition.

  All proceeds from the game will go towards ALS research, on behalf of Unzue, who is a former Barcelona team-mate of Guardiola, and 51,000 tickets have already been sold for the game.

  “We go because Barcelona open doors to play a game for an important person in our lives,” Guardiola said. “They invite us to raise money for the battle that he has, and it is an incredible argument for us to be there.”

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  Pep Guardiola

  Even in late August, no one can reasonably predict the current pleasant temperatures in Manchester, so a trip to Catalonia was a guarantee of some warm weather training.

  City will base themselves at sister club Girona and will have a few days of team bonding, which began with a flight straight from the 3-3 draw at Newcastle and will see them return ahead of Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace.

  After an extended summer break for the squad compared to some of their rivals, City had a short preseason and the trip will also give the coach an opportunity to work on tactics ahead of the fixture schedule building up.

• Kalvin Phillips

  The £42million summer signing has so far played only four minutes following his move from Leeds and is likely to have an opportunity for more game time.

  With only one game a week at the moment, it’s understandable that Guardiola has chosen Rodri as his go-to holding midfielder, partly because he’s attuned to the system, but also because he’s been in brilliant form for the past two seasons.

  As the schedule starts to fire up over the upcoming weeks, Phillips will get his starts in a key position and Guardiola has said this game will give rhythm to players that have so far been on the periphery.

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  Julian Alvarez

  Exactly the same can be said for the Argentinian striker, who will not have expected to have started the opening matches ahead of the standout summer signing Erling Haaland.

  Acclimatising to the Premier League will be slightly easier for Haaland who was born in Leeds and speaks English, but Guardiola says that he needs Alvarez to be a strong alternative.

  “Now he has one game a week, I tell you now when we have games every three days that Erling will not play, I will play Julian,” Guardiola said after the draw with Newcastle.

Another summer of signings is over, so which players can be considered the best acquisitions?

With deadline day done and dusted, Premier League clubs are now left to evaluate the business they've done over the past few months with some far happier with the players they've got than others. 

Considering the nature of the transfer market these days, a good signing that meets the exact needs of a club for a fair price is very difficult to pull off.

As such, our rankings of English summer transfers takes into account the quality of the player, value for money and how much the team stands to benefit by their addition. 

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  20Neal Maupay: Brentford to Brighton (£18m/$22m)

  With 25 goals and eight assists to his name in the Championship last season, Neal Maupay could prove a shrewd addition to Brighton's attack if he can step up to the Premier League. The Seagulls frontline was in desperate need of fresh blood having struggled over long patches last season and Maupay will be eager to give them a reliable outlet. 

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  19Albian Ajeti: Basel to West Ham (£7m/$8m)

  A young striker who scored 14 league goals last season in Switzerland, Albian Ajeti is a handy pick-up for the Hammers and gives them some nice depth in attack. Should he impress in England, West Ham could make a big profit on the Swiss player in the years to come. 

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  18Tom Heaton: Burnley to Aston Villa (£7m/$8m)

  Following six impressive seasons with Burnley, Tom Heaton was snapped up by Aston Villa and should be an ideal addition on their return to the top flight. Seemingly in the clear after a lengthy injury lay-off, the 33-year-old still has plenty to offer and on his day can guarantee Villa a few extra points. 

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• GEOFF CADDICK
  

  17Daniel James: Swansea to Manchester United (£15m/$18m)

  The 21-year-old Welshman has voiced his desire to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Giggs and, if he can deliver half of what the Red Devils legend did, Daniel James will prove a quality buy for Manchester United. Still relatively unproven after a strong season in the Championship, the winger will likely take some time to show what he's capable of in the Premier League. 

Goal rounds up some of the most exciting World Cup 2018 group stage fixtures – including Spain vs Portugal and England vs Belgium

With the World Cup set to kick off on June 14, Goal rounds up some of the biggest and best clashes to take place in Russia – including Spain vs Portugal which sees the new and old guard of La Furia Roja battle it out against the European champions, and Luis Suarez facing off against Mohamed Salah when Uruguay and Egypt play each other.

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  Egypt vs Uruguay

  Mohamed Salah propelled Egypt to the finals after scoring a 95th-minute penalty against DR Congo to ensure that the Pharoahs would appear in their first World Cup since 1990.

  The 25-year-old endeared himself to the world after an emphatic debut season at Liverpool where he smashed records and netted 44 goals in all competitions, and though he was unable to lift the European Cup with the Reds, he will be looking to redeem himself with a successful World Cup campaign.

  He is set to face off against none other than Luis Suarez for Uruguay in their sides' opening fixture. Suarez was the Salah of yesteryear for Reds supporters before he moved to Barcelona in 2014 – and his was one of the scoring records that Salah broke this season.

  It'll be an exciting game with Salah and Mohamed Elneny facing off against Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani – and a chance to assert each forward's abilities.

  Match Information: Egypt vs Uruguay | Friday June 15 | 1pm UK time (8am US ET)

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  Portugal vs Spain

  Portugal vs Spain is easily one of the most exciting fixtures of the tournament. Portugal are a threat in this competition as they are helmed by a confident Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from winning the Champions League as well as leading his side to a European Championship victory two years ago.

  The current Spanish team features a mixed assortment of promising young talent including Marco Asensio, David de Gea and Isco as well as talismen in Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Gerard Pique.

  Match Information: Portugal vs Spain | Friday June 15 | 7pm UK time (2pm US ET)

• EITAN ABRAMOVICH
  

  Argentina vs Iceland

  What will happen when Argentina – one of the most storied national sides of all-time – comes up against Iceland, one of the smallest of the qualified nations and who are set to make their first ever appearance in the World Cup?

  Lionel Messi has yet to lift a major honour on the international stage and has finished as runner-up in four of his last Copa America finals. Despite his great successes with Barcelona – he has long since been the Spanish side's all-time top-scorer and has won every major club trophy imaginable, as well as lifting the Ballon d'Or on five separate occasions – some critics still feel that to truly cement his place as one of football's greats he must win the World Cup with his nation.

  Match Information: Argentina vs Iceland | Saturday June 16 | 2pm UK time (9am US ET)

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  Germany vs Mexico

  The defending champions will be looking to make their World Cup success a back-to-back feat, starting with their opening fixture against Mexico, as the current Germany squad is still as strong as the one four years ago – even without hero Mario Gotze in the squad.

  The Germany squad is rife with experienced players in the shape of Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos as well as young talent such as Leroy Sane, who had a magnificent season with Manchester City, winning the title in the process, where he scored 23 goals.

  Add the likes of Timo Werner, Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer and Germany are once again favourites to defend their title.

  Match information: Germany vs Mexico | Sunday June 18 | 4pm UK time (11am US ET)

According to reports, Aston Villa are monitoring West Brom star Matheus Pereira ahead of a potential move.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side got a taste of what the 24-year-old can do when he delivered a superb goal-scoring display in the Baggies 2-2 draw against Villa in the Premier League at the weekend.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has now claimed that Albion’s West Midlands rivals Villa are “understood to be among the Premier League sides monitoring the 24-year-old”.

He ran Matt Targett ragged

Dubbed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never even seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira has emerged as one of West Brom’s standout performers since his arrival at The Hawthorns.

His performance against Villa on Sunday really showed what he can bring to the table, with Jermaine Jenas left raving about him after the game. The pundit said: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

Pereira gave Targett “countless problems” according to the Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece, and when you look at the stats, it’s easy to see why that was the case.

The £11.7m-rated Brazilian finished the game with the highest Sofascore match rating of 8.1 and gave Targett an absolutely torrid evening. As well as scoring from the spot, the winger hit the woodwork, completed 100% of his dribbles, provided a team-high three key passes and sent in a game-high of four accurate crosses.

While Targett had some joy going forward, he struggled defensively, being dribbled past twice (the joint-most of any Villa player), losing seven of his 12 duels and conceding possession on 16 separate occasions (Sofascore).

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With eight goals and five assists in the Premier League alone, Pereira is putting up a real fight in order to keep the Baggies in the top flight. That kind of never-say-die attitude is something Smith will surely love as he looks to build a more competitive squad for next season.

He might be playing for the enemy, but Pereira is someone for whom Villa should push the boat out to try and sign.

Meanwhile, Villa could replace Ross Barkley by signing this “unique” Premier League star…

Kevin De Bruyne has claimed the first official award for most assists in a season, but who were the players who previously set the standard?

The Premier League Playmaker award is a new individual accolade given out to the player who has provided the most assists through the season.

It joins the Golden Boot and Golden Glove as honours for individual recognition, with the inaugural award going to Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne .

But, if the award had been in existence for the entirety of the Premier League era, who would have been the winners? Here, Goal takes a look.

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  1992-93 | Eric Cantona (16 assists)

  Eric Cantona would have won the playmaker award in the inaugural Premier League season. The United number seven assisted 16 times, as well as scoring 20 in in 42 appearances for both Leeds and the Red Devils.

  United won the league that season for the first time in 26 years and the addition of Cantona in November was seen as the driving force towards that first title win. 

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  1993-94 | Andy Cole (13 assists)

  A player not many people associate with assists because he was such a prolific goalscorer. In Andy Cole’s first Premier League season he set a record for the number of goals scored in a season with 34, and he would have been the first double winner of the Golden Boot and the Playmaker prize if the award had existed at the time.

  Cole’s assists were not elegant through balls or crosses that you would see from many conventional playmakers but his hold-up play and lay-offs contributed to an assists tally which stood at 13 by the end of the season.

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  1994-95 | Matt Le Tissier (15 assists)

  Known as ‘Le God’ to Southampton fans, Le Tissier assisted 15 times in the 1994-95 season.

  Le Tissier also took on the brunt of goal scoring responsibilities at The Dell during that season, netting 19 times in 41 outings.

  Le Tissier contributed to 34 goals that season as Southampton finished comfortably in mid-table.

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  1996-96 | Steve McManaman (15 assists)

  Steve McManaman assisted 15 times in the 1995-96 season as Liverpool finished third.

  McManaman enjoyed a productive season being able to supply Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore, who both hit double figures for the season.

  McManaman’s form also earned him a place in England’s Euro 96 squad and he received praise from Pele, who called him ‘one of the best players in Europe’.

According to a report by German news outlet Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness, long time Tottenham Hotspur target Marcel Sabitzer will listen to proposals from elsewhere before even thinking about signing a new deal at RB Leipzig – and he particularly wants ‘to look for offers from England’.

Sabitzer has been on Spurs’ transfer radar since last summer, with talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook saying Daniel Levy and co were ‘looking to pull off a coup’ back in August 2020.

Sabitzer boost emerges for Spurs

Links haven’t died down since then and Sport Bild now provide an update on the 27-year-old Bundesliga star and his possible move to north London.

They claim that the Austrian’s priority is to ‘look for offers from England’ before even considering a new contract at RB Leipzig – gifting Spurs and Levy a transfer boost as they reportedly aim to snap him up.

Reliable sources, like football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, say Tottenham do indeed want Sabitzer this summer – especially considering he is out of contract in 2022 as it stands.

Transfer Tavern take

This could hand Levy more negotiating wiggle room as Leipzig risk losing him for nothing at the end of next season.

As a result, this news from Sport Bild comes as a boost for Spurs – but a caveat in the report details that a ‘turnaround is possible’ on the new RB Leipzig deal if Sabitzer doesn’t receive an ‘interesting’ offer.

Lilywhites fans, as a result, may be hoping that a fitting proposal is tabled and Tottenham take advantage of his current stance.

In other news: Tottenham touted as possible move for ‘extraordinary’ star, find out more here.

Nikola Milenkovic is on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer radar ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, Spurs are making the arrival of a central defensive leader their top priority when the window reopens, and the 23-year-old Fiorentina star is among their targets.

His contract is set to expire 12 months after the current season ends, meaning the Serie A outfit would have to cash in if they are to make any money on his signature.

The Serbia international is currently valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, whilst reports emerged last month suggesting La Viola’s asking price was around €35m (£30m).

Solid Spurs unit

Gold also claims that, despite Tottenham having the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, there has been a clear lack of cohesion and leadership at the back.

Spurs have dropped 13 points from a winning position, with individual defensive mistakes clearly a major problem, and this is where Milenkovic could be the solution.

Much of Tottenham’s defensive record may well be attributed to the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been a rock-solid presence in front of Mourinho’s ever-changing backline.

Of all of Mourinho’s regular starters (20 or more starts), he leads the squad for tackles (2.8) and interceptions (1.3) per game, proving to be an industrious workhorse and contributing far more to stopping the opposition compared to the likes of Eric Dier, who has started the most matches of any centre-back in the league. He has managed only 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions, via WhoScored.

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At 6 foot 5, Milenkovic has drawn comparisons to arguably one of the greatest defenders to grace the English top flight in Nemanja Vidic.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” said Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic to ESPN. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

If Spurs want a colossal presence to lead them out from the back, then they shouldn’t look much further than the Fiorentina titan.

Only Franck Ribery has performed better in Serie A for them this season, with the Serbian recording an average WhoScored rating of 6.83. In terms of key defensive attributes, he is performing exceedingly well too, managing 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per game.

This shows that, despite his towering height, he’s an equally hard man to defeat on the ground – just as much as in the air – and he clearly has a great ability to read the game and then snuff out any danger.

That is something his former Partizan boss Ivan Tomic has pointed out before, as he said: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Daniel Levy ought to swoop this summer if he is to vastly improve Spurs’ defence, and in doing so, he could begin to create a dream spine for several years.

Milenkovic would be a fine addition to Spurs.

AND in other news, 19x possession lost: Spurs gem drops int’l disaster, Mourinho claim proving to be true…

Leicester City have made a number of hugely profitable transfer sales in recent years.

The names of Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Chilwell immediately spring to mind with the East-Midlanders having accumulated approximately £220m in transfer fees from their departures to Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.

However, one shrewd move that appears to fall under the radar is the jettisoning of former record signing Ahmed Musa before the 2018/19.

Signed by Claudio Ranieri following Leicester’s miraculous title success from Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, the Nigerian arrived with a big reputation and a costly transfer fee of £16m.

It was thought that he could have “played with” Jamie Vardy, according to the Italian title winner but it did not play out that way.

The 87-cap forward had a disastrous time at the King Power Stadium as he scored just five goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

Just 18 months after he had signed, Musa left the club albeit temporarily for former employers CSKA Moscow in a loan deal that saw him score seven goals in 16 games.

He had no future at the club upon his return though and just as though it looked like the Foxes were going to sustain a huge loss on him, Saudi outfit Al-Nassr swooped for Musa for an officially undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £15m.

To only make a minimal loss on a player that was dreadful in his spell at the club was a masterstroke by the Foxes and that decision looks even better a couple of years down the line.

After two years with Al-Nassr, Musa, now rated at just £5.4m, is without a club after a move to relegation-bound West Bromwich Albion fell through.

It’s a dramatic fall from grace for the Nigerian but Leicester will be hugely thankful that they cashed in on him when they did.

AND in more news, take a closer look at some of the Foxes’ woeful signings…