Two defensive lapses decided yesterday's international football friendly at Fatima College ground, Mucurapo as the Mexico under-17 team came away 2-0 victors despite a gutsy performance by the host nation.
Jesus Millan finished neatly at the half-hour mark, after running on to a long ball, while substitute Ulises Plascencia pounced on a wayward back pass for the final item with the last kick of the game.
The final result may seem comfortable but there was enough to suggest that Trinidad and Tobago provided a sterner test than Mexican technical director Jesus Ruvalcaba anticipated.
Ruvalcaba travelled with 24 players and received special dispensation from his opposite number, Anton Corneal, to make unlimited substitutions. But he only chanced three changes during the active part of the match-two more subs were introduced in the closing seconds-while the Mexicans paid more attention to time wasting than the opposing goal for the final 15 minutes.
Corneal's outfit has just one win from their last five outings but he did not have to look hard for positives yesterday.
"I thought we were very competitive," said Corneal. "Our fitness level was good and we hustled well. But the killer instinct to get off shots and score was missing."
The sight of the Mexican team, who are defending the FIFA Under-17 crown, turning offensive corners into time-wasting episodes with more than ten minutes left on the clock was an unexpected tribute to the hosts. Trinidad and Tobago enjoyed a healthy share of possession in the final 30 minutes too but often lacked the quality to turn promising approach play into scoring chances.
The fixture was high on intensity but clearly lacked invention as either team struggled with the dry, uneven surface and sweeping cross-field winds.
Millan's technique helped the wily Mexican winger to tame the bouncy ball and create space, while local flanker Micah Lewis and substitute Sean De Silva were helped by, in the first case, an uncanny knowledge of the ground's flaws and, for the latter, an ability to spot passing options at an impressive speed.
Such composure and skill was in short supply, though, and fans had to tolerate a multitude of sliced clearances and clumsy dribbling from both teams in the first half.
Still, Corneal's men were not short of ambition and Lewis won the first corner after four minutes. The set piece route always looked like T&T's best chance of conjuring a goal, particularly through Chad De Freitas' deliveries into the crowd.
Mexico used a 3-4-3 system designed to stretch their opponents but the narrow playing surface and the high work rate and concentration of the young "Soca Warriors" made space a rare commodity. That was until the 30th minute and the first error by the hosts.
Central defender Ryan O'Neil misjudged a speculative punt upfield and Millan stole behind the defence to take possession and face Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper and captain Jesse Fullerton.
The Mexican paused long enough for the burly custodian to commit himself before clinically clipping the ball home for the opening goal.
But the Warriors were not cowed and striker Daniel Joseph forced Mexican sweeper Daniel Fraire into a painful defensive block before "El Tricolor" closed the half with aimless possession in the corners of the field.
It was more of the same in the second half as T&T substitutes Daniel Cyrus, Isaiah Ferguson and De Silva brought added impetus without creating much to concern Mexican goalie Alfredo Medina besides a few fiercely-contested corner kicks.
The rash of Mexican changes never came. Instead, Ruvalcaba replaced powerful striker Raul Lopez with a defender as the visitors switched to a back four in the 79th minute.
Four minutes into stoppage time, fortune favoured the more cautious side. Sheldon Bateau passed into the path of Plascencia who rounded Fullerton for the insurance item.
Both teams should have a more suitable venue for the rematch, which kicks off from 6 p.m. tomorrow at Couva's Ato Boldon Stadium.