"I think he's played a massive game and he just missed the goal." "He's a player that stands out because of how well he plays, but that doesn't do justice to all the work he does for the team, how he dropped to help out the full-backs, how he works to cut off passing lanes, how he recovers the ball and that makes him even more valuable," added Martino. "Like I said to Jesus at the end, he is a decisive player for us, very important."īut what really stood out to Martino is the side of Corona's game that has developed at Porto, likely helped by the occasions when he has been asked to play full-back or wing-back. "I want to highlight the team, there were lots of high points," said Martino in the postgame video conference when asked about Corona's display. It was a performance that turned heads, even if he also lost the ball a total of 25 times. But those same raw traits were on display against the Netherlands in Johan Cruyff Arena, with young Dutch full-back Owen Wijndal having a torrid night up against him.Ĭorona had 10 touches inside the opposition box - seven more than any Dutch player - had more touches of the ball than anyone on the field except Teun Koopmeiners and won the ball back three times in the attacking third, again more than any other player on the pitch. Even in his Monterrey days - there was a Club World Cup game against Chelsea in 2012 that stood out - Corona was a player who oozed class, possessed an ease in beating defenders and a rare two-footed-ness.Ī lot has happened since - including a mysterious exit from the Mexico squad before the 2017 Confederations Cup - and only 34 minutes for Corona at Russia 2018 was too little for a player with his talent. The Portuguese top division's Most Valuable Player for the 2019-20 season is now firmly established in Europe, but his national team career has been marked by inconsistency and he'd only played twice over Martino's 18 games in charge before Wednesday night.Īfter Wednesday's display in Amsterdam, the hope for Mexico is that he can finally become the player for El Tri that he has threatened to be and firmly establish himself as a starter.Ĭorona was electric. Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. The biggest national team headline Corona has created following the 2018 World Cup, at least prior to his performance in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands, had been the FC Porto player's no-show at Gerardo Martino's first camp and subsequent public scolding. That may not have been fair for a 27-year-old in his prime, but there have also been underlying reasons. Jesus "Tecatito" Corona had become somewhat of a marginalized name for the Mexico national team, at least compared to fellow forwards Raul Jimenez and Hirving Lozano. Mexico's 'Tecatito' Corona, already a MVP at Porto, shows class in win over Netherlands You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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