Gallardo, Funes Mori score as Mexico roll past Iraq in pre-World Cup friendly

Updated: May 16, 2023, 11:52 pm

Mexico's defender Jesus Gallardo celebrates scoring a goal against Iraq in a friendly.
Mexico's defender Jesus Gallardo celebrates scoring a goal against Iraq in a friendly.
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Goals from Alexis Vega, Rogelio Funes Mori, Jesus Gallardo and Uriel Antuna led Mexico to a 4-0 victory against Iraq during a friendly at Girona, Spain's Estadi Montilivi.

The Wednesday night exhibition match, which is the second-to-last for Mexico before the World Cup, began on a bright note for the CONCACAF nation that found the back of the net in the fourth minute. Following a pacey run from Gallardo at left-back, the defender sent over a cross to Vega, who finished the move.

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After a quiet end to the first half that featured a highly defensive approach from Iraq, a handful of substitutions during the midway break provided El Tri with solutions in the final third.

Halftime additions Antuna and Funes Mori made an immediate impact once they stepped onto the pitch, with Antuna providing a perfect pass from the right flank that Funes Mori finished from close-range to make it 2-0 by the 48th minute.

Then, in the 67th, Gallardo pounced on a poor clearance from Iraq and sent a shot into the back of the net, pushing El Tri up to 3-0. Moments before the final whistle, Funes Mori won a penalty in injury time that set up Antuna to score from the spot in the 92nd minute to seal the 4-0 result.

Manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino and his Mexico squad will continue their World Cup preparation with one last friendly against Sweden, which is also set to be held at the Estadi Montilivi. In Qatar, they'll face Poland (Nov. 22), Saudi Arabia (Nov. 26), and Argentina (Nov. 30) in the group stage.

Martino is expected to release his final World Cup roster on Monday, Nov. 16. One of the Mexico coach's biggest decisions will be whether or not to include injured striker Raul Jimenez, who is in the provisional squad but did not play on Wednesday. Backup players like Erick Sanchez and Jesus Angulo are also on the fringe for inclusion in Martino's final 26-man roster.

Iraq failed to qualify for the World Cup.