Inefficient ball control, a sloppy defense and a massive miss from Santi Muñoz. Those were the capital sins Mexico was made to pay for during a painful 2-1 defeat against Venezuela in the Maurice Revello tournament.
Nobody can't hide the facts. Seeing how this Mexican U-21 ensemble wasted its ball possession without damaging the opponent, almost mirroring the deficiencies you can see in the adult squad, was very frustrating.
And the ultimate expression of that squandering was the goal Santi Muñoz failed to convert in the final seconds of the first half when the scoreboard was still at nil-nil.
Santi Muñoz miss vs Venezuela
The young Newcastle center-forward had a chance to put Mexico into the lead after a ball crossed the whole box, but his header in the far post crashed right into the metal.
He was two feet from the goal-line and with an empty net.
¡AL PALO MÉXICO!
Se salvó Venezuela en el final del primer tiempoDisfruta el México vs. Venezuela del @TournoiMRevello en vivo por beIN SPORTS XTRA Ñ.
: https://t.co/fJV1gI8QT9#MEXVEN | #TMR2022 pic.twitter.com/ANYrmiIcyo
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) June 2, 2022
Inexcusable.
And El Tri paid for it.
Just seconds after Muñoz's miss, Venezuela converted Mexican defenders into bowling pins for a sweet combination that ended with a world-class trivela from Telasco Segovia, a midfielder to watch in the years to come.
¡GOLAZO DE VENEZUELA!
Telasco Segovia abre el marcador en la última jugada del primer tiempoDisfruta el México vs. Venezuela del @TournoiMRevello en vivo por beIN SPORTS XTRA Ñ.
: https://t.co/fJV1gI8QT9#MEXVEN | #TMR2022 pic.twitter.com/i8KjcsiQLf
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) June 2, 2022
Mexico improved a bit in the second half and was able to level the game thanks to Ramón Juárez. It was not from open play but a set-piece that Juárez headed into the net in the 61st minute.
¡GOL DE MÉXICO!
El capitán Juárez empata las accionesDisfruta el México vs. Venezuela del @TournoiMRevello en vivo por beIN SPORTS XTRA Ñ.
: https://t.co/fJV1gI8QT9#MEXVEN | #TMR2022 pic.twitter.com/5gCiSwzjkl
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) June 2, 2022
Toward the end of the game, El Tri created a couple of chances to get the three points, but the lack of accuracy from its frontline proved to be costly, again. And in the last gasp, another play sparked by Telasco Segovia ended with Bryant Ortega putting Mexico's defense on skates before scoring the winning goal.
¡GOL DE VENEZUELA!
Bryant Ortega en el tiempo añadido pone a ganar 1️⃣-2️⃣ a la VinotintoDisfruta el México vs. Venezuela del @TournoiMRevello en vivo por beIN SPORTS XTRA Ñ.
: https://t.co/fJV1gI8QT9#MEXVEN | #TMR2022 pic.twitter.com/9ClOQgUW6h
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) June 2, 2022
The defeat left El Tri in the passenger seat of its group and needing a miracle to advance to the semifinals. It's worth mentioning that only the group winners and the best second-place team in the competition can qualify for that stage.