Mexico 3-0 Iceland: 5 Talking Points

Mexico commenced preparations for the upcoming World Cup with a resounding 3-0 win over Iceland at California's Levi's Stadium as Marco Fabian struck a wonderful free-kick before Miguel Layun piled on with a second-half brace.

With neither teams opting to deploy their strongest XI, the match was regardless bustling with some end-to-end action as both sides played to their strengths. But where Iceland lacked the finishing touches on the ball, El Tri light up the cauldron with an effervescent attacking show and that ultimately, made the difference.

Not to say the latter were without issues of their own, but manager Juan Osorio would hardly care to look beyond the final score. There's plenty to talk about here, but let us look at the top five points emerging from the match.

#1 Mexico cannot afford to rest on their laurels despite the huge win

Even though the match carried hardly an iota of significance, Mexico's 3-0 win today would still be a confidence booster nonetheless. With only four more "warm-up" games before they take to the field against holders Germany in the tournament proper, results like these would help build optimism in the camp and enter the fray upbeat.

But a closer look down the proceedings, and it opens multiples avenues for improvement as Mexico still have to tighten a few screws. For starters, the three-man backline was breached with the ease of knife slicing through butter as Iceland mustered as many as three shots on target by half-time, while there was a fair share of struggles initially going forward too as the latter kept things well-organised.

El Tri were also not as assured in possession as they would've hoped to be, and had to rely on three moments of brilliance to bail themselves out. A victory of three-goal margin would more than just mask these flaws, but Osorio must be mindful of it and iron them out at the earliest if they were to make it big at the World Cup.

#2 Iceland looked down on luck

Iceland seemed to have hit the buffers here

Football can be a cruel game sometimes, and Iceland today were at the receiving end of this harsh unjust. Despite putting up a fight and subjecting Mexico to numerous problems, Heimir Hallgrimsson's side ended up on the wrong side of a 3-0 result; and a result which really should've been narrower than this.

Without talisman Gylfi Sigurdsson in the side, the Strakarnir okkar reverted to a more compact and composed 4-4-2 which did its trick for the most part of the first half. Mexico found life hard while drifting through this crowded set-up and had to settle for a goal-less half had it not been for the brilliantly taken free-kick.

Iceland refraining to go full throttle from the off did suggest their hesitance in the absence of the Everton star, but the counterattacks were as dangerous as it could get. And despite mustering 5 shots on target, which is as many as their opponents on the evening, none could find the back of the net, which pretty much explains the difference between the two sides today.

Iceland weren't necessarily poor; just that things didn't break for them.

#3 Marco Fabian revelling in the fine return from his injury lay-off

In what was a painfully harrowing year or so, Mexico's Marco Fabian spent almost 189 days in the treatment room with a severe back problem that kept him out of action for a large part of 2017. Upon his return at the start of February, he dispatched some fine performances only to fell prey to influenza that kept him further out of action.

Having recuperated again, Fabian was back in action against Iceland, starting on the left-wing behind the striker and marked the occasion with a well-taken free-kick. With the match deadlocked at 0-0, the 29-year old stepped up to curl a wonderful set-piece into the top corner 25 yards out to give Mexico the lead against the run of play.

The jubilation on his face was a testimony to the high spirits he felt upon returning to the field after such a long layoff, while his brilliantly taken freekick suggests he hasn't lost the touch despite the absence. Fabian timely return isn't only a happy new for his club Eintracht Frankfurt, but also an uplift ahead of Mexico's World Cup campaign.

#4 Sigurdsson's absence an opportunity for Iceland to experiment

Whenever he's in the side, Gylfi Sigurdsson naturally shoulders most of the attacking burden and also orchestrates the play. So Iceland had their tasks cut out here without him even though they did manage to show great attacking flair going forward.

However, this is also a chance for manager Hallgrimsson to find an able back-up till the time he's serving time out, as Iceland cannot afford to place all their eggs in a Sigurdsson-sized basket at the World Cup.

While teenager Albert Guomundsson had an off-day, the likes of Arnor Traustason, Kjartan Finnbogason and Viðar Örn Kjartansson are some of the youngsters who've shown promise in the past and should be handed more time than what they did today. And although it's hard to find a like-for-like replacement for a player of the stature of Sigurdsson per se, Iceland isn't short of attacking talents and the gaffer must discover a reinforcement before the tournament lurks around the corner.

#5 Jesus Corona still going strong at 37

For all the occasions when Mexico looked like conceding, they had Jesus Corona to thank for his sublime performance in the nets. The seasoned Mexican international stood firm when Iceland threw the kitchen sink and helped his side to an improbable clean-sheet on the night.

Even though the men in blue started on a brighter note, Corona's true test of mettle arrived in the 23rd minute when he was forced to deny three vital saves close range as Iceland threatened to go in front. And just moments before half-time, El Tri needed his intervention to keep out a fine effort from Johann Gudmundsson.

In total, Corona was left with 5 saves to make in pursuit of a clean sheet and shoulders a significant portion of the credit for his side's victory today.

Mexico's first choice keeper Guillermo Ochoa may have still been a go-to option for the World Cup, but Corona's performances suggest he isn't half-shabby and wouldn't be a bad choice to man the net in the tournament either.

Edited by Sripad