Doriva Bueno after Mexico’s draw with Benin: “It’s a negative result, we had the win in our hands”

Mexico’s women’s Under-20 team let victory slip away in the closing minutes of its World Cup opener against Benin, leaving coach Doriva Bueno with a result he described as difficult to accept.

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It's a negative result because we had the win in our hands and ended up conceding a draw, but we finished with a point and that's better than getting nothing, so whether it's positive or negative depends a lot on how we look at it.

“It's a negative result because we had the win in our hands and ended up conceding a draw,” Bueno said after the match. He added that Mexico had at least collected a point, making the result positive or negative depending on how the team viewed it.

The coach said Benin’s approach did not surprise him. He expected the African side to defend and look for counterattacks, and said that was exactly how Benin scored, along with winning a penalty. Mexico must correct those situations before its next match, Bueno said, and become more solid in those areas.

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We already knew it would be like that, with Benin looking for counterattacks and waiting for a move that would cause us problems.

Mexico shares Group A with Poland and Argentina. Its next opponent is the host team, which defeated Argentina heavily in its opening game. After giving away a two-goal advantage against Benin, Mexico will need a strong performance against Poland to keep its hopes of advancing alive.

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These are things that happen and obviously have to be corrected for the next game.