Aguirre: "We didn't deserve to win"

After a goalless draw against Japan in Oakland on Saturday night, Javier Aguirre said he had to adjust the Mexican national team's defensive scheme.

"We played a five-man line, my full-backs weren't getting close enough to their wing-backs, and we put Lira in the middle. It was a forced change, but he understood it very well," explained the Mexican coach.

In the second half, "Vasco" Aguirre made changes to observe several players. "I wanted to see 'Chucky' Lozano, 'Chiquito' Sánchez, and Santi Giménez to see how they're doing, and that's what the match was about. Japan is a very intense team, and 90 percent of their players play in Europe, so it's a very different training session," he commented.

He also admitted that the match lacked spectacularity and that El Tri was no better than its rival.

"We weren't superior to our opponents; we didn't deserve to win. I think they played a good game to avoid defeat; very close, not very spectacular," he said.

Finally, the "Vasco" assured that he is close to defining the base for the 2026 World Cup. "I'm pretty close, we still have some players left to watch, but I'm calm, we're training well, we have a good atmosphere," he noted.

For his part, Jesús Gallardo, Toluca's left-back, highlighted the defensive solidity: "It was important to keep a clean sheet. We all defend, so we're calm and happy to keep a clean sheet. We were lacking up front, but we can work on that."

El Tri will play against South Korea tomorrow.— AP