Mexico 1, Croatia 0: Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said Croatia was too old. He said the 1998 World Cup bronze medalists were living on old results. Based on Monday’s result in Niigata, Japan, Aguirre was right.
Croatia got little out of the men who energized the ’98 surge. Neither Davor Suker, now 34, nor Alen Boksic, 32, lasted 70 minutes. They combined for one shot, off-target at that.
Mexico scored in the 61st minute after Jared Borgetti’s back-heel pass sprang Cuauhtemoc Blanco through the middle of the Croatian defense and he went barreling in head-on toward goal. Defender Boris Zivkovic body-slammed Blanco in the penalty area. Referee Jun Lu of China called a penalty kick, which Blanco buried.
