Gomez feels Mexico will provide a tough test (Allsport)
GOMEZ EXPECTS TOUGH MEXICO BATTLE
By PA Sport Staff
Click here to place your World Cup bets!
Click here for Ecuador team section
Click here for Mexico team section
Click here for teams index
Click here for latest World Cup headlines
Click here for World Cup photo gallery
Click here for World Cup Bettingzone
Ecuador coach Hernan Gomez has warned that
Mexico will be just as difficult opponents as Italy proved in their group
opener.
Ecuador suffered a baptism of fire in their first ever World Cup finals,
having qualified ahead of Brazil, slipping to a 2-0 defeat against Italy on June
3.
Hopes are high in Ecuador now the Italy match is out of the way, but Gomez is
erring on the side of caution.
He is expecting a fierce battle when the teams meet in Miyagi.
"Italy is in the past, but people in Ecuador shouldn't think that Mexico are
going to be easy, they will be just as difficult," said Gomez on his website,
bolillogomez.com.
Nevertheless, Gomez, who coached Colombia in the France 98 World Cup, hopes
his side have learned from experience.
Early lapses in concentration against the Italians allowed Christian Vieri to
score twice in the opening half hour, putting the game beyond Ecuador's reach
and give them a bitter introduction to the competition.
"We are not going to have that expectation and those nerves that we had
before the World Cup," insisted Gomez.
Meanwhile, Mexico go into the game knowing a win will nudge them closer to the
last 16 and will hope to give coach Javier Aguirre a fitting send-off as he
prepares to take over Spanish side Osasuna next season.
"Ecuador are a side that like to move the ball around, they are fast and
strong and it will be a much harder game than against Croatia," said
Argentina-born Gabriel Caballero, who made history in Mexico's opening 1-0 win
over the Croats when he became the first naturalised player to don the national
colours.
They still have the Italians to come and will have been heartened by Croatia
defeating the Azzurri.
"First of all we have to play Ecuador, after that we'll see what happens
against Italy," added Caballero.
"We have a series of goals and the first is to get out of the group before
looking any further.
"We have to win, because there's no tomorrow for either of the teams. We are
both playing for our future in 90 minutes."
|
