BRACE ANGOLA BEATEN BY MEXICO
COSAFA side Angola fought bravely but ultimately went down 1-0 to 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists Mexico in a friendly international in Houston on Thursday.
The match was the first in charge for new Angola coach Herve Renard, who had selected a mostly locally-based squad for the encounter.
The Mexicans were using the match as preparations for their World Cup opener against South Africa on June 11 at Soccer City, but struggled to break down the organised Palancas Negras side.
Played in front of 70 000 fans, the game was scoreless at the break, but Mexico found a goal early in the second period thanks to a good bit of play by Deportivo Coruna midfielder Andres Guardado.
He unleashed a rasping drive that was only parried by Angola goalkeeper Joao, but reacted quickest to follow-up on the rebound and score.
Guardado, Alberto Medina and the experienced Cuauhtemoc Blanco looked dangerous throughout the match, but the Mexicans could not add to their tally in the remainder of the second period.
"The second half we played more open, but that was a mistake because we needed to play more together," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre told AP. "We gave Angola an advantage because they are so fast. They have a lot of speed, and being open hurt us.
"We have a poor offense. We have to work on it. Our defense is working well. They are doing a good job. I'm not worried about the defense. My only concern is the offense."
Renard says he is satisfied with the showing from his side, considering the amount of time he had to prepare.
"I'm not worried about the result," he said. "We only had three weeks to prepare, but the team is made up of local players, and they played well."
The victory for Mexico follows their 1-0 win over Senegal in New York on Monday.
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