Mexico vs. Suriname result: El Tri wins, but fails to convince as Marcelo Flores misses penalty, fans chant "Fuera, Tata"

Simon Borg

Mexico vs. Suriname result: El Tri wins, but fails to convince as Marcelo Flores misses penalty, fans chant "Fuera, Tata" image

In desperate need to win over the fans just months before the World Cup in Qatar, the Mexican national team put forth its latest subpar display despite winning 3-0 at home over Suriname, ranked No. 141 in the world.

Mexico struggled in buildup play and created few clear-cut chances: El Tri needed a missed Suriname clearance, a clumsy penalty foul, and a deflected shot to win its CONCACAF Nations League opener. It was unable to impose a clear style of play on its opponent, and in the absence of inspired play, El Tri were content to manage the game. 

The game set up perfectly for Mexico to have a breakout performance with a third-minute goal on a spectacular volley finish by Israel Reyes. The Puebla center back took advantage of a whiff by a Suriname defender, and then struck a spinning volley with his weaker left foot. But then Mexico proceeded to generate very little attacking play until earning a 40th-minute penalty kick which veteran forward Henry Martin converted.

A second half stoppage-time goal by Erick Sanchez closed out the match on a positive note at 3-0, but manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino will surely come under fire for the overall performance.

Mexico had a second penalty inside the final 10 minutes, but Arsenal Under-23 player Marcelo Flores saw his attempt saved. The crowd had been calling for Flores to be subbed into the match, and he came on with nine minutes remaining. It was his sparkling through ball to Orbelin Pineda that led to the penalty as the Suriname goalkeeper tripped him up coming off his line.

Mexico players stock up / stock down

The Mexico roster was pared down to 23 players after the recent set of friendlies and several of the veteran stars were missing and already on vacation. That gave an opportunity to several fringe players, who still need to make their case for a World Cup spot.

Outside of flashes from Diego Lainez, who showed his trademark accelerations and 1-on-1 skills in the box, the other attackers didn't help their cause to be added to the 2022 World Cup roster. Rodolfo Pizarro was anonymous, Henry Martin didn't receive much service, and midfielder Sebastian Cordova failed to leave a mark.

In addition to Lainez, Pachuca's Luis Chavez was bright in midfield, and the fullbacks — Julian Araujo on the right and Erick Aguirre on the left — were solid, but rarely tested. Marcelo Flores showed personality in his few minutes on the field, and Erick Sanchez brought energy to the team in midfield to close out the match.

Martino indicated there will be four or five players who will start a second consecutive match when the team heads to Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday for the final June match. 

The next opportunity for players to impress Martino will come in September, the final window of matches before the rosters are named ahead of the November World Cup.

What did Tata Martino say about the match?

Mexico entered the Suriname match under pressure after a series of disappointing results against Nigeria, Uruguay and Ecuador. The scoring issues and the poor play in those games led to increased criticism of manager Tata Martino, who was targeted by the fans in Torreon. They chanted "Fuera, Tata" (Tata Out) during several stretches of the match.

After the 3-0 win over Suriname, Martino was honest about the way the match unfolded and the areas in which his team fell short. He was realistic about the fact that he fielded a young team and he understood the challenges that came with that.

"We had good moments, and others not so much. We had a little imprecision, mostly in the final third or at the moment of making or receiving the final pass. And that prevented us from scoring a couple of more goals," Martino told TUDN in a postgame interview.

"And the fact is that the majority of the players who played were young players who were looking to win a place on the senior team.

"Several plays fizzled out for the reasons I mentioned: a bad control, a pass going a bit wide. a wrong decision. We had several scoring chances.

"It's tough to talk about the game because you expect the team to win," he continued. "And the reality is that we won the game in a good way."

MORE: Mexico calendar of matches in Group C of the 2022 World Cup

Mexico vs. Suriname final score

  1H 2H Final
Mexico 2 1 3
Suriname 0 0 0

Goals:
MEX — Israel Reyes — 3rd min.
MEX — Henry Martin (penalty) — 40th min.
MEX — Erick Sanchez — 94th min.

Mexico vs. Suriname live updates, highlights from Nations League

Final: Mexico 3, Suriname 0

94th min.: Goal Mexico! Just before the final whistle, Erick Sanchez takes a shot from outside the box and it gets past a defender and the goalkeeper to close out the match on a high note for Mexico.

84th min.: Flores steps up to take it himself and the 'keeper saves it!

83rd min.: And there's Flores! He puts through a fantastic ball for Orbelin Pineda and the goalkeeper trips him up. It's a penalty.

81st min.: SUB for Mexico. Marcelo Flores comes on for Diego Lainez. He has 10 minutes to show something.

77th min.: SUBS for Suriname. Roland Alberg and Florian Jozefzoon are on for Diego Biseswar and Yanic Wildschut. The visitors making one final go of it.

75th min.: Outside of the 1-on-1 flashes from Diego Lainez, it's not been an exciting display by Mexico, and El Tri havent't threatened as often as you'd imagine when playing at home against Suriname.

71st min.: Suriname goal? Suriname's Kelvin Leerdam goes up for the header against Mexico goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo, and the ball crosses the line. But a foul is called on Leerdam for making contact with Acevedo's hands and causing him to spill the ball. That's followed by the hydration break.

68th min.: Diego Lainez again the best creator for Mexico. He feeds Luis Romo, who was surprised by the service and couldn't control. Had Romo found his feet, it would've been an open shot on goal.

62nd min.: Three subs for Mexico. Orbelin Pineda comes on for Rodolfo Pizarro (the crowd boos Pizarro), Erick Sanchez replaces Sebastian Cordova, and Santi Gimenez subs in for Henry Martin. The players who are leaving the field didn't do themselves any favors in the race for World Cup roster spots.

56th min.: Diego Lainez with another shot on goal and Suriname 'keeper Warner Hahn has to come up with the spectacular save for a corner. Lainez has been the best Mexican attacker on the night.

54th min.: And now the fans who are on hand are chanting "Marcelo", wanting to see Arsenal Under-23 player Marcelo Flores. We'll see if Tata obliges after they were chanting "Fuera, Tata" not too long before.

49th min.: Suriname chance! It was Shaquille Pinas with the long-distance, deflected shot that Mexico 'keeper Carlos Acevedo touched away for a corner. But it was another wasted corner set piece by Suriname.

46th min.: Mexico unchanged, while Suriname take out midfielder Ryan Donk and bring in a forward Jeredy Hilterman. Suriname are going to give it a go.

Halftime: Mexico 2, Suriname 0

Halftime: Mexico had the perfect start to the match by getting an early goal and it took the pressure off. El Tri managed the lead, but still didn't create much after that and the "Fuera, Tata" chants were only a matter of time.

Luis Chavez played with purpose in midfield, Diego Lainez was active on the right wing and tried things, and Julian Araujo was solid at right back. Goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo came up big on the one difficult shot he faced. Good sign for him.

But Rodolfo Pizarro and Sebastian Cordova have been quiet and as a result Henry Martin hasn't received much service. But Martin won't be complaining about getting the chance to take the 40th-minute penalty. The 2-0 lead is safe given the fact that Suriname hasn't created much, but the visitors look to have a goal in them.

46th min.: While the crowd is chanting "Fuera, Tata", Suriname has its best chance of the match with a blast from distance by Ryan Donk, and the Santos Laguna 'keeper Carlos Acevedo has to come up with the stop.

40th min.: Penalty Mexico! And Henry Martin converts from the spot!

Diego Lainez won the penalty with a mazy run into the box and the Suriname defender Shaquille Pinas was reckless when he chopped him down. The ball was also on its way out of play. No matter, Mexico up 2-0.

38th min.: Free kick for Mexico near the left corner, but Luis Chavez's shot is high of the mark. The Pachuca midfielder has played well. That wasn't his best contribution.

31st min.: Chance Mexico! The ball reaches Diego Lainez who's all alone on the right side of the box, but the 'keeper closes the angle and blocks for a corner. Nothing comes of it. Mexico has been quiet in attack outside that goal. Suriname's gaining a foothold in the match.

26th min.: Hydration break. It's hot in Torreon. It's 92 degrees and it's 9 p.m. local time.

23rd min.: Breakaway by Suriname and the visitors expose Mexico. It's Wildschut who gets into the Mexico box from the left, but he's thrown off balance and his shot attempt goes awry.

20th min.: First corner kick for Suriname and it goes to absolute waste. Replays show that Suriname's Ryan Donk may have been tripped up by Mexico's Erick Aguirre inside the box. No whistle from the ref.

10th min.: Yellow card for Mexico right back Julian Araujo, who extends his arm to stop center forward Yanic Wildschut. It was a bit harsh from the referee, but fair for stopping a promising attack.

9th min.: Chance for Mexico! Classic Diego Lainez move: He converges from the right flank and fires a low shot on goal with his left foot. It nearly escapes Suriname goalkeeper Warner Hahn, who manages to hold on.

3rd min.: Goal Mexico! That was fast! A corner kick bounces past a couple of players and center back — yes, center back — Israel Reyes applies the spinning volley (with his left foot!) and the shot leaves the goalkeeper frozen. Great instinct in the box by Reyes in his third cap with Mexico.

It was beautiful technique by the Puebla defender:

1st min.: The match kicks off. Sparse crowd at the Estadio Corona. Sideline reporter points out that it's been 20 years since the senior national team has been in this city. It's a poor turnout.

3 mins from kickoff: Luis Romo is wearing the captain's armband. The 27-year-old Monterrey midfielder could use a highlight like this to end a difficult season.

5 mins from kickoff: Time for national anthems. Suriname goes first.

32 mins from kickoff: Marcelo Flores, the Arsenal Under-23 prospect who picked Mexico over Canada, will start on the bench for his first match with the senior El Tri side on Mexican soil.

34 mins from kickoff: Carlos Acevedo will be the center of attention in the match, playing in front of his home fans. If he's busy against Suriname, that would mean trouble for Mexico.

35 mins from kickoff: No real surprises on the lineups for either side. Some big opportunities for the likes of Sebastian Cordova, Julian Araujo, Diego Lainez, Henry Martin and Rodolfo Pizarro. They could be playing their way on or off the World Cup roster.

100 mins from kickoff: Suriname beat Mexico to the TSM Stadium.

MORE: Which teams have qualified to the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Mexico vs. Suriname lineups

With the Mexico roster pared down to 23 for the Nations League, this will be a big test for fringe World Cup players like Sebastian Cordova, Luis Chavez and Henry Martin. 

Tata Martino gives goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo the start in front of his home fans in Torreon, where he plays for Santos Laguna. LA Galaxy right back Julian Araujo also has a valuable opportunity to leave an impression on the coaching staff with one last international window left before the World Cup.

Mexico starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Carlos Acevedo GK) — 19-Erick Aguirre, 3-Jesus Angulo, 15-Israel Reyes, 5-Julian Araujo — 14-Luis Chavez, 7-Luis Romo, 8-Sebastian Cordova— 20-Rodolfo Pizarro, 21-Henry Martin, 11-Diego Lainez 

Mexico subs (12): 12-Rodolfo Cota (GK), 13-David Ochoa (GK), 4-Julio Cesar "Cata" Dominguez, 23-Jesus Gallardo, 2-Kevin Alvarez, 18-Erik Lira, 6-Erick Sanchez, 16-Fernando "Nene" Beltran, 10-Orbelin Pineda, 17-Marcelo Flores, 22-Uriel Antuna, 9-Santi Gimenez

Suriname manager Stanley Menzo mentioned that the only injury concern was Gleofilo Vlijter, who picked up a knock against Jamaica and will not be available although he appears on the bench. Venezia left back Ridgeciano Haps was a late scratch after warmups, with Calvin Mac-Intosch stepping in at left back.

Menzo did not make many changes to his base lineup. Depending on where Dion Malone lines up, it could be a 4-3-3 or a 5-2-3 formation.

Suriname starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Warner Hahn (GK) — 3-Calvin Mac-Intosch, 19-Shaquille Pinas, 12-Leo Myenty Abena, 18-Kelvin Leerdam — 17-Roscello Vlijter, 15-Ryan Donk, 4-Dion Malone — 21-Diego Biseswar, 14-Yanic Wildschut, 11-Leandro Kappel

Suriname subs (12): 13-Joey Roggeveen (GK), 23-Ishan Kort (GK), 2-Albert Nibte, 5-Ridgeciano Haps, 5-Ridgeciano Haps, 16-Ronaldo Kemble, 6-Miquel Darson, 20-Gleofilo Vlijter, 8-Roland Alberg, 10-Jamilhio Rigters, 22-Shaquille Cairo, 7-Florian Jozefzoon, 9-Jeredy Hilterman

MORE: How to watch UEFA Nations League in the USA

Mexico vs Suriname TV channel, live stream

  USA Canada
Date Sat., June 11 Sat., June 11
Time 10 p.m. ET 10 p.m. ET
TV channel UniMas, TUDN Telus Ch. 980
Streaming fuboTV, Paramount+ fuboTV, OneSoccer.ca

USA: UniMas and TUDN will televise the match at 10 p.m. ET and both channels are streamed on fuboTV. An English-language stream can be found on Paramount+ for subscribers.

Canada: The match will be carried in Canada via OneSoccer, which streams on fuboTV.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.