A passionate Mexican side paid their animated crowd back in the best possible way by beating reigning World Cup champions Germany 1-0 in front of a packed Luzhniki crowd yesterday. Fans in green jerseys and sombreros erupted in joy when Hirving Lozano scored the crucial goal for El Tri during a swift counterattack at the 35th minute in Moscow.
Though Tony Kroos and Julian Brandt both hit the woodworks for the Die Nationalmannschaft, but at the end of the day, Mexico was good enough to maintain the lead till the end.
Mexican players did their part on the pitch but the devoted fans deserve plenty of credit for their incredible support. Every time a Mexico playergot the ball,the fans went wild, spurring on every attack and counterattack. Every missed shot and every German tackle resounded through the stadium with “Oohs” and “Aahs” from the lively fans. After all the cheers, the Mexican fans still had enough energy to vociferously boo the world champions every time they managed to get the ball.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the crowd exploded into unbound jubilation – dancing and singing draped in their national colours. The enthusiasm was infectious, reeling in the non-Mexican fans to take part as well. Small parties and selfie sessions broke out all over the gallery.
Photo Credit: ADJICI LOTFI/ AIP News Andru, one of the fans who flew in from Mexico for the World Cup, was overjoyed with the win.
“I am so happy. It is unbelievable. Maybe we were lucky, but we deserved it,” he said as he jumped up and down with joy.
The 32-year-old fan regained his composure and said: “It was a collective effort. It is harder to keep a clean sheet against Germany than scoring. Ochoa was great in the game. We have a good chance to win the group stage but the players should have focus on the next game.”
The German fans on the other hand were downcast and dejected as they left the stadium. Till the very last minute, they supported the German team with all the enthusiasm in their heart and flags waving in the stands.
One fan, Julien from Bavaria, said: “It was just a bad day at office. Mexico was the better team and won. This is a very bad situation but I am still positive to get through to the second round.”
The World Cup has gotten off to an incredible start where every match since the opener has been super competitive and it is not possible to say who is going to pull through without going through a wringer of a game
