Mexico defeated Internacional 2-0 in their first game of their South American tour with a solid performance from a side made up of a number of El Tri debutants.
El Tri showed character following a poor opening half an hour of the match where they looked lost and overwhelmed by Inter's quality on the ball. However, it all changed in the final 15 minutes of the first half. Javier Aguirre's young side began letting go of the nerves and finally, Erik Lira opened the scoring 35 minutes into the game following a well-crafted play. A minute before the half time whistle, Jorge Ruvalcaba doubled El Tri's lead following a wonderful pass by Elías Montiel.
Mexico continued on the uptick in the second half, but the game drastically changed once the game reached the hour mark. There were 13 total substitutions in the second half, interrupting the game constantly, making it difficult for both teams to get in a flow. A match that was very attractive during the first half, was anything but in the final 45 minutes.
What many thought would be an embarrassment for El Tri ended up being a very strong performance that should leave a sweet test in Aguirre's mouth. Many players got their first taste of senior national team soccer and they stood their ground in front of 43 thousand fans and against a strong team that fielded their best lineup.
It was a valuable exercise for El Tri's youngsters, many of which should get more chances in upcoming international breaks.
Player ratings from El Tri's first win of 2025 below.
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Internacional Player Ratings vs. Mexico (4-3-3)
Mexico Player Ratings vs. Internacional (3-4-3)
Player of the Match: Jorge Ruvalcaba (Mexico)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Internacional 0-2 Mexico: Player Ratings as El Tri's Youngsters Step Up to the Challenge.
