After reportedly rejecting offers of a contract extension at Porto (it’s set to expire this summer), Mexico international Hector Herrera has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Tottenham, Real Madrid and AS Roma. The World Cup standout again demonstrated his immense quality — and only increased the speculation — with a commanding display in today’s 4-1 Champions League victory over Lokomotiv Moscow.
Porto climbed to the top of UEFA Champions League Group D with an impressive 3-1 win in Moscow against Lokomotiv on Wednesday, and the Mexican duo of Handsome Hector Herrera and Jesús “Tecatito” Corona played a large part in the win.
The Handsome One scored Porto’s second with Tecatito supplying the assist in the 35th minute.
Hector Herrera doubles Porto's lead
The ball looped up into the air and time slowed down. Goalie Hugo Lloris watched helplessly as a deflected shot sailed just out of his reach. Tens of thousands of fans inside the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven held their collective breath. Then the Hirving Lozano goal vs Tottenham fell into the net and the crowd exploded into jubilant celebration.
Mexico international Chucky Lozano scored against the run of play with his first Champions League group-stage goal on Wednesday in Group B action, and it all came down to a poor piece of play from Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld.
A pair of former Pachuca teammates are having themselves a ball in the Netherlands right now.
Chucky Lozano had a breakout season with PSV Eindhoven a year ago, scoring 17 goals in the Eredivisie. He welcomed compatriot Érick Gutiérrez to the team in August and now the two El Tri players are becoming terrifyingly prolific.
Against FC Emmen on Saturday, the Chucky and Guti were at it again, scoring back-to-back goals for the third time this season.
After failing to make the grade at Atletico Madrid four years ago and following that up with three years of diminishing returns with Benfica — culminating in a return of only eight goals in 43 appearances last season — Raúl Jiménez’s loan move to Wolverhampton back in June had all the stink of today’s bewildering transfer market.
It appeared to be nothing more than super agent Jorge Mendes using his clout to wheel and deal the 27-year-old in a way that lined his own pockets while allowing Benfica to finally cut financial ties with the $11 million flop.
Right now, it doesn’t even seem fair.
PSV Eindhoven is absolutely eviscerating the Dutch Eredivisie this season and a pair of Mexico internationals is a major reason why, combining for three goals in a 4-0 win over VVV Venlo on Saturday.
The Boeren are pulling away atop the Eredivisie table with eight wins from eight. More impressively, they’ve done it while scoring 30 goals (3.75 per game) and conceding three.
Nearly a third of PSV’s goals this season has come from two players from one country: Mexico’s Chucky Lozano and Érick Gutiérrez.
PSV Eindhoven’s hopes of making it through to the Champions League Round of 16 took a massive blow Wednesday after Pablo Rosario’s smashing opener (assisted by Hirving “Chucky” Lozano) was canceled out by a whistling, 18-yard Radja Nainggolan half-volley and ultimately made meaningless by Mauro Icardi’s comedic winner in the 60th minute.
An Eredivisie table-topping match between first place PSV Eindhoven and second place Ajax went the way of PSV on Sunday, the home side using an entirely dominant opening 35-minute period to build a resounding three-goal lead thanks to strikes from Gaston Pereiro, Luuk de Jong and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano.
Hirving Lozano earned a lot of praise for his defensive efforts during the World Cup with Mexico. Much of it was deserved as his tracking back was nearly as important as his goal against Germany. But on this Ousmane Dembele goal vs PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, Lozano was left grasping at air.
Welcome to the Netherlands, Érick Gutiérrez.
Gutiérrez, a Mexico international midfielder, reunited with former Pachuca winger Hirving Lozano in the Eredivisie when PSV Eindhoven signed the 23-year-old just before the transfer deadline in August.
He made his debut on Saturday, coming on as a substitute against ADO Den Haag.
Five minutes later, he had assisted his compatriot and scored a cracking goal.