SOCHI, RUSSIA - JUNE 29: Marco Fabian of Mexico and Antonio Ruediger of Germany compete for the ball during the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 Semi-Final between Germany and Mexico at Fisht Olympic Stadium on June 29, 2017 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Germany defeated Mexico 4-1 in Sochi, Russia on Thursday afternoon to reach the Confederations Cup Final thanks to two early goals from Leon Goretzka.
Goretzka, a Schalke midfielder, took a feed from Benjamin Henrichs from 20 yards out to put Germany up 1-0 after just six minutes. Goretzka then beat Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa less than two minutes later from Timo Werner’s through ball to double the defending World Cup champions’ lead.
Werner then made a weaving run through midfield and tapped in Jonas Hector’s pass to make it 3-0 one minute before the hour mark.
The Germans’ victory was particularly impressive because most of their top players — including Manuel Neuer, Marco Reus, Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, Mats Hummels and Jérôme Boateng — were not in Russia on Thursday.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Nevertheless, Fisht Stadium ended up at nearly full capacity with 37,923 fans.
Mexico had several scoring opportunities in the first half, but was never able to finish. Forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, who plays for German club Bayer Leverkusen, hit one shot over the crossbar, and Hector Herrera had a free-kick blocked by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen just before the break.
Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Marco Fabian scored El Tri’s lone goal in the 89th minute with a spectacular shot from 35 yards out. However, Ajax’s Amin Younes responded with a goal off a pass from substitute Mere Can two minutes later to seal Germany’s victory.
Mexico, led by Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio, recorded 25 shots on goal and dominated possession (58%), but it evidently wasn’t enough.
“They are fair winners,” Osorio said of Germany in the post-game press conference. “But I think the score line seems like we were too far away and I do not think that was the case.”
The Colombian served as an assistant at Manchester City in the early 2000s.
Germany will face Chile in the tournament final on Sunday, after the South American team defeated Portugal 3-0 in penalties on Wednesday following a 0-0 tie. Mexico and Portugal, the Euro 2016 champions, will play each other in a third-place consolation game on Saturday.
Germany coach Joachim Löw said he is prepared to face a tough opponent in Chile, with whom his team tied 1-1 in a group stage game.
“There is no doubt at all that Chile is the most powerful opponent in this tournament,” Low said. “This football season is drawing to a close, and that means that people are almost hitting a wall when it comes to their physical performance. We will be trying flat out to pull it off again, and I hope – I am actually quite positive – that we can do that versus Chile.”
Chile also routed Mexico 7-0 in the Copa America Centenario quarter-finals in June 2016 to eliminate Osorio’s team from the US-hosted tournament. Mexico won’t be able to exact their revenge on the South American powerhouse just yet.
On April 14, 2025, former Super Bowl Champion Don Hasselbeck, 70, died from a cardiac…
After beating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the National Championship last week, the Indiana Hoosiers…
One of the last major dominoes of the MLB offseason has fallen. On February 1,…
The Minnesota Twins have added some depth to their offense in a recent trade. They…
Last month, a federal indictment was unsealed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which included…
Boxers know that they’re putting their bodies on the line, but they would’ve never guessed…