Two goals in each half of Sunday’s encounter condemned the West Africans to defeat in Los Angeles 

Nigeria suffered a 4-0 defeat to Mexico in an international friendly match at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sunday.

A double from Atletico Madrid star Hector Herrera and lone goals from Rogelio Funes Mori and Jonathan dos Santos steered El Tri to a comfortable victory as they wrapped up preparations for their 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign which will begin on July 11.

Herrera got Mexico off to a flying start with the opening goal in the second minute, courtesy of an assist from Jesus Corona.

They went ahead to double their lead in the fourth minute after Napoli winger Hirving Lozano linked up with Funes Mori and the latter placed his effort into the top left corner.

Mexico dominated the first half with the most chances created and ball possession while the Super Eagles, largely consisting of home-based players, struggled to create a clear chance with no shots on target.

The North Americans continued from where they stopped after the half-time break and they turned the second 45 minutes to a one-sided affair.

Lozano came close to extend their dominance in the 48th minute but the Napoli star’s shot from outside the penalty area was parried by goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili for a corner-kick.

Four minutes later, Herrera bagged his brace with a low drive into an empty net after the Super Eagles goalkeeper rushed out to stop Lozano.

Nigeria’s woes were compounded after Adekunle Adeleke and Uche Onwuansanya were stretchered off. Meanwhile, Mexico made a triple substitution in the 66th minute and it paved the way for Dos Santos who replaced Herrera.

The LA Galaxy star completed the rout for Gerardo Martino’s side with his 78th-minute strike.

Sunday’s result extended Mexico’s dominance over Nigeria, and after six games, El Tri have now won three and the West Africans remain winless after three outings ended in draws.

In the absence of Heartland goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Enyimba forward Anayo Iwuala was handed the armband and he led Gernot Rohr’s side for the entire 90 minutes while Lobi Stars’ Nwabili got the nod to stay in between the sticks ahead of Enyimba’s John Noble.

Unfortunately, the Super Eagles are winless in their last eight friendly matches and their last victory dates back to March 2019 when they edged Egypt 1-0 in Asaba.

Next up for Nigeria is the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers which will start in September. The three-time African champions are in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Central African Republic and Liberia.

source: goal