- REUTERS
Fans kiss before the start of the Group D World Cup 2006 soccer match between Angola and Mexico in Hanover yesterday. The game ended 0-0.
HANOVER, Germany (AP):
MEXICO'S FANS kept up the deafening chant: "Si, se puede! Si, se puede!" "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!"
No, they couldn't.
Mexico moved the ball about the field almost at will in last night's World Cup match against Angola. The only thing El Tri didn't do was put the ball in the net, settling for a 0-0 draw that turned the chants and cheers into derisive whistles.
"We played very good in back," midfielder Pavel Pardo said. "We played very good in the midfield. But the most important thing is, you need to score. If you don't score, you don't win."
A victory over Angola, combined with a win or draw by Portugal against Iran today, would have guaranteed Mexico its fourth straight trip to the round of 16. Instead, everything now comes down to Wednesday's Group D finals: Mexico against Portugal and Iran against Angola.
"That's football," midfielder Gerardo Torrado said. "The luck just didn't go our way tonight."
It was the third scoreless draw of the tournament. There were only two in the group stage in 2002 and three in 1998.
Mexico went into last night's game without striker Jared Borgetti, with El Tri's top career scorer sidelined by a torn muscle in his left thigh.
Coach Ricardo Lavolpe used all four of his other forwards - sometimes three at a time - and none came close to matching his form from Mexico's 3-1 win over Iran in its opener.
NO-SHOWS
The four strikers - Guillermo Franco, Omar Bravo, Francisco Fonseca and Jesus Arellano - were all no-shows at the post-match interview session. Each had chances to score against the Black Antelopes, but something always went wrong.
Bravo, who had two goals against Iran, never found his rhythm. Franco had several good touches but was denied by Angolan keeper Joao Ricardo, who started shakily but got stronger as the night went on.
Fonseca and Arellano, both second-half substitutes, also failed to provide a scoring spark - even after defender Andre's ejection for a handball in the 79th minute gave Mexico a man advantage.
And defender Rafael Marquez, often roaming deep into Angola's end, missed a two-goal night by inches. His free-kick in the first half glanced off Angola's defensive wall and hit the post, and Joao Ricardo made a dive to his right to knock away his 88th-minute blast from 35 metres (yards) out.
"The team played very well," Angolan defender Rui Marques said. "When we play so compact like we did today, it's difficult for them to score a goal. I'm very happy for our goalkeeper. He had a great game."
With Borgetti out, Lavolpe opened the match with two forwards - Bravo and Franco - rather than the three he started with against Iran.
El Tri's focus was clearly on offence, though, with attacking midfielder Zinha getting his first start of the tournament and Marquez and left back Gonzalo Pineda both pushing well forward.
The attempt to overwhelm Angola's back line failed and Zinha - who scored Mexico's final goal against Iran - was lifted for Arellano in the 52nd minute.
"That's what we trained for," Zinha said of the team's early forward surge. "But we didn't have the intelligence to overwhelm their defence."
