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Friday June 13th - 10:00AM | ||
| vs | CAMEROON | ||
| FIFA RANKING 19 | FIFA RANKING 50 | ||
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
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| MEXICO Mexico came within a whisker of missing out on qualification altogether. Despite their status as regional powerhouses, the Mexicans won just two of their ten matches in the final six-team group phase, with the defeat to Honduras at their Estadio Azteca fortress in September 2013 costing Jose Manuel de la Torre his job as national team coach with three games remaining. Fresh from guiding America to the Mexican league title, Miguel Herrera then came in for the two-legged tie against New Zealand and took the radical decision of selecting only home-based players. His strategy paid off as El Tri finally put their shaky form behind them to sweep to a 9-3 aggregate win and qualify for the world finals for the 15th time in all. CAMEROON Drawn in perhaps the most open group in Africa, alongside Libya, Congo DR and Togo, Cameroon survived the challenge with the help of an overturned loss because of Togo's fielding of an ineligible player. Ultimately the Lions did enough anyway with a 1-0 defeat of the pace-setting Libyans in their final match that saw them finish with 13 points from six matches. Once in the final play-off round, they handled a tough task against Tunisia with aplomb. A scoreless draw on the road gave way to a 4-1 home win that has Volker Finke's side feeling confident about their trip to Brazil. |
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RECENT RESULTS |
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| MEXICO | CAMEROON | ||
| 20/11/13 - NEW ZEALAND 2-4 MEXICO 13/11/13 - MEXICO 5-1 NEW ZEALAND 11/10/13 - MEXICO 2-1 PANAMA |
17/11/13 - CAMEROON 4-1 TUNISIA 07/11/13 - CAMEROON 4-1 IVORY COAST 13/10/13 - TUNISIA 0-0 CAMEROON |
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| PLAYERS TO WATCH | |||
| MEXICO After an agonising qualifying competition full of setbacks, coaching changes and tactical reshuffles, predicting how the Mexicans will fare at Brazil 2014 is no easy task. While El Trican count on a band of high-profile overseas-based players, spearheaded by JavierChicharito Hernandez, Andres Guardado and Giovani dos Santos, the last few months have shown that the latest wave of young players also have much to offer, chief among them their London 2012 hero Oribe Peralta, Raul Jimenez and Carlos Pena. Now that they have safely secured their ticket to Brazil, the Mexicans have time to find some stability and build for the future. |
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| CAMEROON Samuel Eto'o remains the world-class threat up front, although the charismatic figure, who still serves as captain, has gone in and out of the team. But even without the Chelsea veteran, the side if loaded with experience and high-level talent. Nicolas N'Koulou, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Aurelien Chedjou remain vital at the back, while the midfield is even more loaded with Alex Song, Jean Makoun and Stephane Mbia at the heart of the team. |
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