No Cristiano, no party: Mexico and Portugal cancel each other out in flat WC tune-up
Reading Time: 1min | Sun. 29.03.26. | 11:16
A spectacle in prospect turned out to be a dull, goalless friendly
One letdown followed another.
The first disappointment was Cristiano Ronaldo's absence. He didn't travel with Portugal's national team to Mexico, missing what would have been his first game there.
The next letdown happened on the pitch.
Mexico and Portugal played to a goalless draw in a friendly that offered little in the way of spectacle, finishing 0-0 at one of the venues set to host matches at the upcoming World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino watched from the stands, but the match never found its rhythm. Both coaches used all their substitutions - 16 in total - which broke up the flow and made the game less intense, especially after halftime.
There were few chances to score.
Portugal nearly scored in the 26th minute when Goncalo Ramos hit the post. Mexico's best chance came late, when Gonzalez's header in the 80th minute just missed, so that the home team couldn't grab a late win.
In the end, neither team did enough to win.
Now, both teams are looking ahead to the World Cup. Mexico will start against South Africa, then play South Korea and whoever wins the play-off between Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Portugal is in Group K with Uzbekistan, Colombia, and the winner of the play-off between DR Congo and Jamaica. Their group games will be in the United States, with two in Houston and one in Miami.