The mexican under-20 team beat the host this Tuesday Chili by 1-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup in the match played at the Elías Figueroa Brander Stadium in Valparaíso, and now awaits his rival who will emerge from the winner between Argentina and Nigeria. With goals from Tahiel Jiménez, in the 26th minute, with assistance from Gilberto Mora; by Iker Fimbres in ’67 and a double by Hugo Camberos in ’80 and ’86, El Tri eliminated La Rojita.
Striker Juan Francisco Rossel reduced the score in the 88th minute, which did not alleviate the criticism of a team that reached the round of 16 questioned for its progress thanks to the ‘fair play’ criterion. The first half evolved quickly in a move from goal to goal, with Chile threatening with two consecutive shots from Lautaro Millán, of the Argentine Independiente, and Rossel.
The Mexican game went through captain Elías Montiel and the rises on the right flank of full-back Diego Sánchez, from Tigres UANL, while the 16-year-old star Mora sought to calibrate himself. Tijuana’s talented offensive midfielder, wanted by big European clubs, dropped back to enter the game, changed sides and took the set pieces under his command in his first attempts to lead El Tri to the opening of the scoreboard.
Romero (Chile) tries to stop Fimbres
The Mexicans were embracing control of the ball to put goalkeeper Sebastián Mella under siege, taking out the first attempt by Santos Laguna striker Tahiel Jiménez with a swipe. With it came 1-0 for El Tri, in the 26th minute, with a long cross from Alexei Domínguez that Mora lowered and served for Jiménez, who finished with his left foot.
Chile had the will to equalize, especially with Millán, but time passed and the players were overshadowed by the adverse result, in front of packed, but also silenced, stands. The first play of the second half was for Chile, and an involuntary handball in the area by Mexican Diego Ochoa made the local team desperately ask their bench for coach Nicolás Córdova to request a review, but after the intervention of the new VAR, the Portuguese judge did not grant it.
Chile could not stop Mexico
Chile appealed to emotional intensity to corner a Mexico that defended with order, and chose its battles on the counterattack, but the local attacks succumbed to the anxiety of the elusive goal. The sentence came with the 2-0 scored by Iker Fimbres with a mid-range shot, after an assist from captain Montiel, who beat goalkeeper Mella and destroyed La Rojita’s hopes.
At the end, the new entrants Amaury Morales, with two assists, and forward Hugo Camberos, from Guadalajara, with a double at minutes 80 and 86, completed the victory. Before the end, forward Rossel scored his first goal of the tournament as a reward for his insistence in the 88th minute, after a pass from Millán, the most feisty of the locals.
TECHNICAL SHEET
1 - Chile: Sebastian Mella; Felipe Faúndez, Ian Garguez, Nicolás Suárez, Patricio Romero (m.79, Rodrigo Godoy); Agustín Arce, Milovan Celis, Javier Cárcamo (d.63, Joaquín Silva), Lautaro Millán, Vicente Álvarez (d.63, Francisco Marchant); Juan Francisco Rossel.
4 - Mexico: Emmanuel Ochoa; Everardo López (m.82, César Bustos), Diego Ochoa (m.88, Jaziel Mendoza), Rodrigo Pachuca; Diego Sánchez, Elias Montiel; Iker Fimbres, Obed Vargas, Alexei Domínguez (m.77, Amaury Morales); Gilberto Mora (m.77, Hugo Camberos), Tahiel Jiménez (m.77, Oswaldo Virgen).
Goals: 0-1, m.26: Tahiel Jiménez. 0-2, m.67: Iker Fimbres. 0-3, m.80: Hugo Camberos. 0-4, m.86: Hugo Camberos. 1-4, m.88: Juan Francisco Rossel.
Referee: The Portuguese Joao Pinheiro cautioned Domínguez, Montiel Morales and Marchant.
Incidents: Match for the round of 16 of the U-20 World Cup Chile 2025, played at the Elías Figueroa Brander Stadium, in Valparaíso.
Chile’s positive record in the round of 16 phase in World Cups of this category added another defeat, and the hopes of repeating what was done in the 2007 Canada edition where they won against Portugal 1-0 with a goal from Arturo Vidal, and which was the origin of the ‘Golden Generation’, were frustrated. Mexico will play in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday the 11th, at the National Stadium in Santiago.
