The Mexico national team settled for a 0–0 draw against Uruguay in an intense, yet lackluster game at the Estadio Corona.
Javier Aguirre’s side were overall better than Marcelo Bielsa’s. Uruguay never really test Raúl Rangel in Mexico’s goal, but El Tri also failed to generate chances squandering the few ones it did.
Mexico wasn’t intimidated by Uruguay’s physicality and aggressiveness, displaying the gritty personality developed under Aguirre.
El Tri is now winless in its last five games, having scored just three goals in that span. Still, Mexico competed well against one of South America’s strongest sides, and a number of players had strong performances that strengthened their case to be part of the 2026 World Cup roster.
Mexico Player Ratings vs. Uruguay (4-3-3)
GK: Raúl Rangel—7.4: Despite getting booed every time he touched the ball—fans in attendance wanted hometown hero Carlos Acevedo to be in goal—he looked confident playing out of the back. A very quiet night for him with just two easy saves.
RB: Israel Reyes—7.3: Was rarely tested down Mexico’s right flank, but did a good job keeping his Club América teammate Brian Rodríguez quiet all night.
CB: César Montes—7.3: The towering center back had a very solid showing. Playing as the last man, he did a great job of tracking runners and closing down opponents the moment they received the ball. He was fantastic defending in open space as well.
CB: Johan Vásquez—7.1: His ability to pick out passes from the backline was on full display. Defensively, he handled his assignments flawlessly and delivered another strong performance.
LB: Jesús Gallardo—7.4: Another quiet, yet solid showing from Mexico’s left back. He was adventurous and pushed forward in the first half but didn’t really impact the game after the break. Nevertheless, he wasn’t beaten even once defensively.
DM: Edson Álvarez—6.9: Did well sniffing out danger and being Mexico’s vacuum in midfield, constantly recovering the ball. Clumsy tackles that lead to dangerous set-pieces are still a problem he must address.
CM: Marcel Ruiz—6.6: Mexico’s best player on the pitch in the first half. The Toluca midfielder pulled the strings in midfield, constantly finding the open man to progress the ball up the pitch.
CM: Erick Sánchez—6.3: Hard-fought physical affairs aren’t were Sánchez thrives. Still, he offered clarity whenever the ball reached his feet, even if he just had 17 passing attempts.
RW: Roberto Alvarado—6.1: An underwhelming showing from Alvarado. Disappeared for long stretches of the game and didn’t have much if any influence in Mexico’s attack.
ST: Raúl Jiménez—6.1: Far from his best performance for Mexico in recent times. Jiménez battled against Uruguay’s physical center backs all night and never really had the ball in dangerous areas. Left the pitch completely exhausted.
LW: Hirving Lozano—6.0: He was active and his tireless pressing generated a couple of dangerous turnovers. It was a positive performance before an apparent injury cut his night short.
Subs not used: Luis Ángel Malagón (GK), Carlos Acevedo (GK), Jesús Orozco, Kevin Álvarez, Mateo Chávez, Fidel Ambriz, Armando González, Jorge Ruvalcava.
Uruguay (4-3-3)
Starting XI: Santiago Mele; Guillermo Varela, José María Giménez, Mathías Olivera; Emiliano Martínez, Rodrigo Bentancur, Rodrigo Salazar, Brian Rodríguez, Rodrigo Aguirre, Juan Manuel Sanabria.
Subs used: Nahitan Nández, Facundo Torres, Maximiliano Araújo
Mexico Player of the Match: Raúl Rangel, Jesús Gallardo
Player of the Match: Mathías Olivera (Uruguay)
Mexico 0–0 Uruguay—How it Unfolded at the Estadio Corona
Aguirre fielded his strongest lineup at the Estadio Corona, one that many believe will very much resemble El Tri’s starting XI come the start of the 2026 World Cup.
Mexico were the better side from the starting whistle, with Aguirre setting up his side high-up the pitch. El Tri’s high press overwhelmed Uruguay early, forcing the visitors into mistakes trying to play out of the back. However, Mexico couldn’t translate those recoveries intro truly dangerous chances.
Although Mexico continued to be superior, they was unable to manufacture any real danger before halftime. To make matters worse, Hirving Lozano was forced to exit the game with an apparent injury in the final play before the break.
The script didn’t change much coming out of the tunnel. Both teams showed plenty of intensity and effort, but no clarity in attack. As a result, fans in attendance began voicing their displeasure at the lack of action in either penalty area.
Mexico had a golden opportunity to score the opener just part the hour mark. Raúl Jiménez sent in a cross that Uruguay’s defense poorly attempted to clear. The ball fell perfectly for Gilberto Mora, but his trivela shot went just wide of the post, costing the teenager his first senior goal for Mexico.
In the final five minutes, there were two controversial actions in both penalty areas. Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to take down Germán Berterame. Seconds later, César Montes collided with Maximiliano Araújo at the other end of the pitch. However, neither action was deemed worthy of a penalty.
A minor scuffle broke out after the pair of incidents in what was likely the most action-filled moment of the night. Neither side created any danger come stoppage time and the game ended in a scoreless draw.
Mexico vs. Uruguay Halftime Stats
Mexico vs. Uruguay Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mexico Player Ratings vs. Uruguay: Physical Battle Lacks Key Element.
