Mexico defeated Ghana 2-0 in a World Cup warm-up friendly match held on May 22 at Cuauhtemoc Stadium in Puebla, Mexico [1, 2]. The match came less than three weeks before Mexico hosts the tournament.
Brian Gutierrez opened the scoring for Mexico within two minutes, firing a shot from the edge of the box [1, 2]. The home side maintained pressure throughout the first half, with Gil Mora hitting the post and Alexis Vega having a goal disallowed for offside before halftime. Ghana struggled to create clear chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Ghana’s head coach Carlos Queiroz was absent, leaving his assistants to manage the team from the bench [1, 2]. Early in the second half, Ghana threatened an equalizer but were denied by saves from Mexico’s goalkeeper and a crossbar hit.
A substitute, Guillermo Martinez, extended Mexico’s lead in the 54th minute with a quick counterattack finish [1, 2]. Europe-based players Edson Alvarez, Jorge Sanchez, and Luis Chávez made appearances in the second half after recently joining the training camp.
Although Puebla is not a World Cup host city, the stadium hosted the match with some sections closed due to FIFA sanctions over past discriminatory chants at Mexican games [1, 2]. Fans wearing green shirts created a lively atmosphere with Mexican waves throughout the match.
Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre used the friendly to evaluate players ahead of the final World Cup squad announcement on June 1 [1, 2].