Action from the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship match between Mexico and Canada (white jersey) on January 12, 2015, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (Photo: Mexsport)
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- Mexico recorded a 2-0 victory over Canada to solidify its Group B lead in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championships on Monday afternoon.
Hirving Lozano scored in the 30th minute and second-half substitute Diego Pineda added an insurance goal two minutes into stoppage time for the Mexicans at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.
The win gave El Tri (2-0-0, 6 points) maximum points from two games, while the Canadians (1-0-1, 3 points) lost for the first time.
Goalkeeper Jose Gonzalez recorded the clean sheet.
Lozano gave Mexico all the scoring it needed on the half hour, taking down a long ball from the back and beating two defenders on the right side of the penalty area before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Nolan Wirth for a 1-0 advantage. The Pachuca standout scored twice in the Mexicans' 9-1 triumph over Cuba in the opening match on Saturday.
Pineda, who came on for Alejandro Diaz in the 72nd, made his presence felt eight minutes later. Erick Aguirre, an overlapping defender, beat Canadian defender Alexander Comsia on the right side, fed Pineda in the middle of the box and he slipped the ball past Wirth for a two-goal lead.
Wirth, starting in place of Marco Carducci, was outstanding as he made two superb saves to keep his team within striking distance.
He produced a spectacular one-handed save in the 18th minute to deny Erick Guitierrez, before stopping Guillermo Martinez from point-blank range in the 80th minute.
With time running out in the second half, the Canadians started to force the issue much more.
Michael Petrasso, one of the scoring heroes in the Maple Leafs' 3-1 opening win over Haiti, had two close encounters within as many minutes midway through the second half. He headed his first attempt wide right in the 63rd minute and sent a close-range shot from the right side wide left two minutes later, which might have been Canada's best chance of the match.
Mexico meets Honduras on Thursday, while Canada plays El Salvador.
