Mexico win Olympic bronze medal after beating hosts Japan at Tokyo 2020

Mexico are Olympic medalists in the men’s football tournament for the second time in the professional era, after they beat off a late rally from hosts Japan to claim bronze at Tokyo 2020 in Saitama, winning 3-1.

Goals for Sebastian Cordova, Johan Vasquez and Alexis Vega were enough to make it a pair of podium finishes in the last three tournaments for El Tri, as they left the Samurai Blue with a mountain to climb despite Kaoru Mitoma’s late response.

While Japan’s wait for a medal in the men’s tournament will continue for another Olympiad, 

How did Mexico claim podium finish?

An early penalty offence against the hosts allowed El Tri to impart themselves upon the scoreboard early on, with Cordova the man to convert from the spot.

The America star was at hand to help set up Vasquez’s follow-up with a free-kick inside the opening half-hour, before Vega added a third just before the hour mark.

Though Mitoma offered a distant hope of a remarkable comeback with a quarter-hour on the clock, it was not enough to tip the scales in Japan’s favour and the hosts were left empty-handed at the final whistle.

El Tri bounce back from Rio frustrations for medal success

Having claimed gold at London 2012 with a string of impressive performances, hopes had been high four years later when Mexico had arrived in Brazil to defend their crown.

But a 2-2 draw with Germany and a 1-0 loss to South Korea put their hopes of a second successive medal finish to bed, despite a 5-1 rout of Fiji, as they were knocked out in the group stages.

At Tokyo 2020 however, they have rebounded in style, with victories over France and South Africa in Group A sending them through to the quarter-finals in some style.

A nine-goal thriller against Korea once more made further amends for Rio before Brazil edged them out in the semi-finals with a dose of penalty shootout heartbreak.

But Jaime Lozano’s side have now delivered the last laugh in Saitama, gaining some sweet revenge for their only prior regular time loss of the tournament, against the Samurai Blue in the early stages of the men’s tournament.

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