“You always dream of scoring important goals, but this one tops them all,” Gomez told after the match, still dazed from the clash of heads he suffered during Mexico’s equaliser. “Right at the end I said to [teammate] Giovani [Casillas], ‘you hit it, because I can’t with this bandage on’. He told me to go and stand where the ball came to me. When I saw it drop just behind me, I had no choice but to go for the overhead, and luckily it went in,” said the Mexico No8, who later received seven stitches to his head wound.
You always dream of scoring important goals, but this one tops them all. Mexico U-17 hero Julio Gomez
The injury came as Mexico’s Jorge Espericueta sent a corner kick directly into the German net to bring the hosts level at 2-2. “I remember the collision as I went for the ball,” said Gomez. “Suddenly, everything went blank and I couldn’t open my eyes. I was really scared when I saw my shirt covered in blood, but then I started to calm down.”
Despite the advice of Mexico’s medical team, Gomez asked to return to the pitch. “The doctor told me, ‘you have to stop now, you can’t carry on,’ but I knew we didn’t have any substitutions left, and I wasn’t prepared to let the team play with ten men,” the Pachuca player explained. “So I said to him, ‘bandage me up, do whatever you want, but I am going to continue.” The rest, as they say, is history.
A brave comeback
Born in the city of Tampico, Tamaulipas, Gomez is the only player in Raul Gutierrez’s squad to have already played in Mexico’s top flight. He made his debut for Pachuca's Los Tuzos against Santos Laguna on 22 January this year, in the same stadium where he scored his memorable semi-final brace against Germany.
Gomez’s first goal came in the third minute, and perfectly demonstrated what the athletic midfielder is all about. Starting on the right, Gomez moved forward with the play before making a diagonal run into the box and placing a real centre-forward’s header past the German goalkeeper. “It’s part of the job that Raul [Gutierrez] asks me to do,” said Gomez. “When I saw that Jorge [Caballero] was about to send the cross in, I anticipated the German defender’s movement and did my best to get my head on it.”
Gomez seems not the least bit surprised by his side’s brilliant comeback against Germany. “The team felt good,” he said. “We performed as a unit and played our natural game. That said, you should never be too confident. Fortunately, we reacted fantastically well and proved that football matches last the full ninety minutes.”
In front of Gomez and his team-mates lies a final showdown with Uruguay in one of the most historic stadiums in world football. “Just thinking about playing in front of a full Estadio Azteca makes me extremely happy, because it means we’ve managed to reach the final,” added Gomez. “It’s a reward for all our efforts, but we’re not finished yet. We’ve got one more very tough match against an opponent we know well. They beat us 6-2 in the last friendly we played together, so this could be sweet revenge.”
URUGUAY TEAM WORK: 3 - 0 OVER Brazilians
Latching onto Moreira’s pass, substitute Guillermo Mendez surged into the box and tried to fire off a shot. The ball was deflected, however, running across the face of six-yard box and into the path of fellow sub Juan San Martin, whose first-time cross-shot gave keeper Charles no chance and all but confirmed La Celeste’s place in the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011.
That collective determination and opportunism is a hallmark of Fabian Coito’s spirited side, whose run to Sunday’s showpiece match has been founded on teamwork rather than individual brilliance - teamwork encapsulated by the contribution of squad members such as Mendez and San Martin.
“I was on the bench and the boss told me I was going on,” Mendez later said. “I helped set up the second goal and then I scored the third, which obviously I’m very happy about. This team always battles hard and gives everything it’s got. And we do that because we know what this jersey means. Now we’re on the way to the final.”
Striking as a unit
One of the most impressive aspects of Uruguay’s relentless advance to Sunday’s showdown with Mexico at the Azteca is that is has been achieved despite a troublesome knee-injury to their star asset Juan Cruz Mascia. Despite his absence from the front line for their quarter-final against Uzbekistan and the semi with Brazil, Coito’s charges still managed to rack up five goals, conceding none in the process.
With Mascia sidelined, the attacking burden has been shared. Santiago Charamoni and Rodrigo Aguirre were the men on target against the Uzbeks, while Elbio Alvarez struck from the spot to set Los Charrúas on the road to victory over Brazil, one sealed by their goalscoring substitutes.
When I’m out there I try to get on with my job, which is to play football. I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on off the pitch or in the stands. Uruguay's Guillermo Mendez
Coach Coito has shuffled his team in an effort to cover for Mascia and keep his forwards on their toes, with Mendez featuring in all six games so far but starting only the group game against England. San Martin, meanwhile, made the starting line-up for the first three games and then sat out the round-of-16 and quarter-final before making his return in Guadalajara.
“I’m always ready to play and got the chance to come on today,” San Martin told afterwards. “They’re technical decisions and I always do what the coach tells me.”
An immovable obstacle
Uruguay’s attacking plans may have worked out perfectly so far, but the foundation for their exploits at Mexico 2011 has been their miserly defence, which has let in just three goals in six games. That is three goals fewer than beaten semi-finalists Germany, who have the next best defensive record in the competition, having conceded six in their half dozen outings.
That defensive solidity was a factor once more against the Brazilians, with Uruguay’s steadfast rearguard and speedy midfield tirelessly combining to close down the gaps, their dedication to their task unaffected by the searing Guadalajara sun.
“This team’s got pedigree and the desire to chase down every single ball, which is really important in football,” added San Martin, extolling the virtues of a side that rarely loses its composure and shows a maturity way beyond the tender age of the players, all of which ensures that Coito’s game-plans are carried out to the letter.
“There’s no such thing as pressure as far as I’m concerned,” concluded Mendez. “When I’m out there I try to get on with my job, which is to play football. I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on off the pitch or in the stands.”
Given the cacophony of noise that the Mexico fans are sure to serve up at the Azteca on Sunday, that approach looks to be a sensible one.
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