Arteaga rocket gives Mexico lift off in Copa América opener against Jamaica
Mexico looked in control in the early stages and came close to scoring in the fourth minute but Luis Chávez was brilliantly denied by Jahmali Waite. However, after the early change, El Tri struggled to turn their dominance into clear-cut chances and the final ball was lacking.
The Reggae Boyz were content to play on the counter and attempted to take advantage of the pace of their strikers, but outside of a few isolated set-pieces, the Jamaicans barely posed a threat to Julio González, who was making his competitive debut with Mexico.
The lack of cutting edge from both sides in the final third led to a slow-paced contest, and the most significant outcome of the opening 45 minutes was the injury sustained by Édson Álvarez, as the West Ham United midfielder was helped off the field with an apparent hamstring injury.
Mexico had one final chance before the HT whistle through Luis Romo, who replaced Álvarez, but his effort went agonisingly wide.
Making early headway in the second half, Jamaica thought they had scored five minutes after the restart through Michail Antonio’s headed effort from very close range, but the goal was ruled out due to an offside from the West Ham striker.
That proved to be the wake-up call for Mexico. First, Chávez was denied by Waite but he was helpless when Gerardo Arteaga’s rocket finish from the edge of the box broke the deadlock in the 69th minute.
The Mexican side took advantage of the momentum and explored all avenues to extend their lead, but Jamaica didn’t sit back and had some opportunities to draw level but Jaime Lozano’s men ultimately held on and secured the three points, and now can make a step towards the quarter-finals with a win over Venezuela next Wednesday.
Jamaica must improve drastically, and they’ll aim to earn their first three points in the competition when they take on Ecuador on the same day.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luis Chávez (Mexico)