Canada draws valuable away draw against Mexico in tie

New tie for Argentina and Messi in qualifying 1:43

(Reuters) -

Canada's national soccer team drew a valuable 1-1 draw from its visit to Mexico on Thursday in the Concacaf tie for the 2022 World Cup.

With the equalizer, the Canadians reached six points to place themselves in third place in the octagonal, led by the United States and Mexico with eight units each.

Panama and El Salvador with five, Costa Rica and Honduras with three, and Jamaica with one complete the tie.

"We wanted three points, we pushed until the 90th minute to try to get a victory at Azteca. I am happy with the point, but at the same time there was an opportunity to take three, we want to show that we are progressing and that there is more to come," he said. Canada's technical director, John Herdman.

In the game that was played at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, Canada generated the first goal option in the 14th minute with a shot from Richie Laryea that goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa deflected.

Mexico responded in the 21st minute with a goal from Jorge Sánchez, who defined left-foot inside the area after controlling a pass from Hirving Lozano.

Despite the goal against, the Canadian team looked more dangerous and tied in the 42nd minute when Jonathan Osorio finished with a placed left-foot shot inside the area after receiving a pass from Alphonso Davies.

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Jonathan Osorio, from Canada.

(Photo by Hector Vivas / Getty Images)

Mexico came close to retaking the lead in the 64th minute through defender Alistair Johnston, who slammed the ball off the crossbar of his own goal by deflecting a cross from Héctor Herrera.

Canada once again endangered Mexico's goal in the 78th minute with a dangerous header from Liam Fraser that Ochoa deflected at the goal line.

"We lacked more intensity of the game, we stopped pressing and allowed our rival to grow, we have to be a little more even in the performance of a game because those ups and downs are affecting us," said the technical director of Mexico, the Argentine Gerardo Martino.

Other parties

In the other games, the United States beat Jamaica 2-0 with a double by 18-year-old Ricardo Pepi, who opened the scoring in the 49th minute when he headed a cross sent by Sergiño Dest, and registered his double at 62 when sweeping into the small area to finish off a pass from Brenden Aaronson.

"We are all excited, watching everything that is happening. An 18-year-old boy sees an opportunity and seizes it, he has the instinct to score," said United States technical director Gregg Berhalter.

For its part, El Salvador achieved its first victory of the tie by beating Panama 1-0 with a goal from Enrico Dueñas, who in the 38th minute scored his first goal for the national team with a powerful shot inside the area after the goalkeeper Luis Mejía rejected a first shot.

"It was incredible to score my first goal, but it belongs to the whole team. If we want to go to Qatar, we have to score goals," Dueñas said.

Meanwhile, Honduras and Costa Rica complicated their situation after drawing without goals and falling behind in the last places of the tie with three points each.

On the next round of the tie, to be played on Sunday, Mexico will be home to Honduras, Jamaica will face Canada, the United States will visit Panama, and Costa Rica will host El Salvador.

The first three places in the Concacaf octagonal qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.

The fourth will have to play an intercontinental playoff in June 2022.

Concacaf