Mexico edge Australia in World Cup warm‑up

Mexico continued their World Cup build‑up with a hard‑fought 1‑0 victory over Australia in front of nearly 80,000 supporters at the Rose Bowl. Johan Vásquez scored the decisive goal midway through the first half, guiding in a precise header from Alexis Vega’s corner after Mathew Ryan had earlier denied the winger with an excellent save. Despite Mexico’s dominance in possession, Australia created several dangerous chances on the counter, including a glaring miss from Mohamed Toure just before half‑time when he lobbed wide with the goal unguarded.

The Socceroos improved after the break, forcing Raul Rangel and later substitute Guillermo Ochoa into action, while Ajdin Hrustic saw a promising effort blocked. Mexico thought they had doubled their lead when Jesús Gallardo’s shot deflected in, but the referee disallowed it as Australia’s defensive line was still being set. El Tri now face Serbia before opening the World Cup on June 11 against South Africa.