Mexico national football team, New Zealand national football team, Javier Aguirre, Mexico

New Zealand beat Mexico 1-0 in friendly

Raúl Jiménez misses penalty as El Tri fall to defeat in last game before World Cup

The New Zealand national football team beat the Mexico national football team 1-0 in a friendly match on Wednesday, 5 June 2023. The match was played at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, and was the last game for Mexico before the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico started the match brightly and had the better of the early chances, but they were unable to take the lead. New Zealand grew into the game and took the lead in the 52nd minute through a goal from Chris Wood.

Mexico pushed for an equaliser, but they were unable to break down the New Zealand defence. Raúl Jiménez had a chance to equalise from the penalty spot in the 80th minute, but he saw his effort saved by Oliver Sail. The defeat was a disappointing result for Mexico, but it will not affect their preparations for the World Cup.

The match was the last for Mexico before the 2023 FIFA World Cup

The match against New Zealand was the last for Mexico before the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Mexico are in Group C of the World Cup, along with Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. They will begin their World Cup campaign on 22 November 2023 against Poland.

Mexico will be hoping to improve on their performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Brazil. They will be confident of qualifying for the knockout stages, but they will need to be at their best to do so.

Javier Aguirre was unhappy with Mexico's performance

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre was unhappy with his team's performance against New Zealand. He said that they were too slow in possession and that they did not create enough chances.

Aguirre will be hoping that his team can improve their performance before the World Cup. They have a number of talented players, but they need to find a way to play as a team if they are to be successful in Qatar.