5:45 PM ET
Cesar Hernandez
DOAH, Qatar -- Gerardo "Tata" Martino has near his relation arsenic Mexico manager aft El Tri exited the World Cup astatine the radical signifier connected Wednesday.
Mexico bushed Saudi Arabia 2-1 successful their last radical game, but it wasn't capable to marque the past 16 arsenic they missed retired to Poland connected extremity difference. Martino's squad took conscionable 1 constituent from their archetypal 2 matches successful Qatar, failing to people successful a gully with Poland and decision to Argentina.
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In a quality league aft the game, Martino said his declaration had ended pursuing Mexico's elimination.
"I americium the archetypal liable for this unspeakable disappointment and vexation that we have," Martino said. "As the idiosyncratic successful charge, it causes a batch of sadness, I afloat presume work for this large failure.
"My declaration ended arsenic soon arsenic the referee blew the last whistle and determination is thing much to beryllium done."
It is the archetypal clip Mexico volition not beryllium featured successful the World Cup knockout signifier since 1990, erstwhile they were banned from the tournament. The past clip El Tri qualified for the tourney and failed to marque it retired of the radical signifier was successful 1978.
"It's sad, it's ugly, and well, that's however shot is," midfielder Orbelin Pineda said aft being knocked out. "When you person to instrumentality vantage [of opportunities], you person to springiness your best."
Goalkeeper and skipper Guillermo Ochoa said aft the lucifer that his squad fell abbreviated of the expectations they had acceptable for themselves earlier the game.
"For us, the nonsubjective was to people 3 oregon 4 goals. It's a shame due to the fact that we tried and we did our best," Ochoa said. "We created opportunities and I consciousness similar we could person scored much goals today. We weren't sharp, determination were offside calls and it's a shame."
Heading into the lucifer pursuing a 0-0 gully against Poland successful their World Cup opener and a 2-0 decision to Argentina successful crippled two, Mexico needed a multigoal effect against Saudi Arabia successful bid to importantly boost their chances for a spot successful the knockout round.
And earlier Saudi Arabia scored precocious successful wounded time, Mexico were up 2-0 successful the aboriginal stages of the 2nd half, needing conscionable 1 much extremity to guarantee a spot into the circular of 16.
"It was hard due to the fact that the extremity [of the match] was arriving and we knew we needed 1 much goal. We were looking for it, trying," defender Kevin Alvarez said.
Ultimately, an further extremity would arrive, but alternatively for Saudi Arabia. When Salem Al-Dawsari recovered the backmost of the nett successful wounded time, it each but ended the knockout circular hopes for the Mexico, who would person to people doubly successful the dying minutes.
With the last whistle securing the 2-1 effect successful Mexico's favor, Martino's clip was up with Mexico and erstwhile asked what the manager said aft the crippled successful the locker room, Alvarez remained silent.
"That's thing much internal, and well, that's conscionable the case," Alvarez added.
Martino was candid successful his last quality league arsenic Mexico coach, saying that contempt the efforts of his squad successful the last crippled against Saudi Arabia, the 2022 World Cup volition spell down arsenic a failure.
"It was the crippled we played the best, we created the astir extremity opportunities," Martino said. "And we could person scored the fig of goals truthful arsenic not to beryllium connected the different game, but we failed."
He besides remained tight-lipped connected revealing a reappraisal of his ain tenure with the Mexican nationalist team, but hinted astatine perchance having plentifulness to archer his erstwhile bosses.
"I americium not successful a presumption to bash an investigation astatine this time, I person it, but if the FMF asks maine to, I'm going to bash it due to the fact that I person a batch to say," Martino said.
Martino, who antecedently coached his autochthonal Argentina, took implicit arsenic Mexico brag successful January 2019 aft helium led Atlanta United to triumph successful MLS Cup.
But helium became progressively unpopular among Mexico's supporters arsenic the squad made hard enactment of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, losing to the United States and Canada connected the roadworthy and lone drafting with them astatine home.
During Martino's tenure, Mexico were besides beaten by rivals US successful the finals of the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup.
Martino was heavy scrutinized for his determination to proceed excluding grounds extremity scorer Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez from his squad, peculiarly amid Mexico's scoring struggles successful Qatar.
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