Mexico beat Ghana 2-0 at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, giving head coach Javier Aguirre a controlled friendly to road-test a refreshed 4-3-3 ahead of Mexico’s home World Cup fixtures. Brian Gutiérrez struck in the 2nd minute, rewarding Aguirre’s call to start the Chicago Fire playmaker between Erik Lira and Gilberto Mora.
That midfield trio owned the first half. Gutiérrez kept slipping into pockets to connect with Roberto Alvarado, while Mora burst beyond Ghana’s 4-5-1 press. Mexico overloaded the left through Alexis Vega’s wide movement, freeing Lira for diagonal runs and letting Luis Romo advance from the right side of the back four. Ghana’s threat arrived through Felix Afena-Gyan, who forced Raúl Rangel into work with two first-half shots on target.
Aguirre reshaped his side at the break with five changes on 46 minutes. Edson Álvarez took over the holding role, Jorge Sánchez refreshed the right flank, Carlos Acevedo stepped in between the posts, Mateo Chávez García replaced Jesús Gallardo at left-back, and Guillermo Martínez led the line after Armando González made way. The tweaks lifted Mexico’s tempo rather than disrupting it.
The second goal arrived in the 54th minute when Romo slid a precise pass into Martínez, whose finish underlined the depth Aguirre is cultivating this summer. From there Mexico dictated possession at 59 percent, completing 534 passes at 93 percent accuracy.
Ghana countered with a burst of substitutions starting in the 66th minute as Otto Addo introduced Razak Simpson, Prince Amoako Jr. and Jerry Afriyie. The visitors raised their press, yet Acevedo handled the Black Stars’ three shots on target to preserve the clean sheet.
Disciplinary flashes were scarce. Oscar Naasei collected a yellow card in the 13th minute for halting a Mexico break, and Chávez García picked up Mexico’s lone caution in the 83rd minute while stifling Ghana’s late counters. A partially closed stand — lingering punishment for past discriminatory chants — added a reminder of the federation’s off-field work without slowing Mexico’s momentum.
Stats confirmed the performance: Mexico generated 16 total shots with eight on target, forcing six saves before Ghana switched goalkeepers in the 76th minute. The visitors mustered seven attempts, three on frame, and still found no way through even after Luis Gabriel Rey and Iker Fimbres joined in the 71st minute to secure Mexico’s back line.
Match stats
- Shots on target: Mexico 8, Ghana 3
- Total shots: Mexico 16, Ghana 7
- Possession: Mexico 59 percent, Ghana 41 percent
- Corners: Mexico 9, Ghana 3
- Goalkeeper saves: Raúl Rangel and Carlos Acevedo 3; Benjamin Asare and Solomon Agbesi 6
Aguirre will now trim his roster before the June window, with Gutiérrez, Martínez and Acevedo all strengthening their cases. Addo returns to Ghana seeking sharper width and a more stable midfield rotation before continental qualifying resumes.
