CIUDAD DE MÉXICO - No obstante haber cumplido con la peor eliminatoria en la era moderna, la selección mexicana tiene una última oportunidad de ir al Mundial. Este miércoles reciben en el partido de ida del repechaje a Nueva Zelanda en la cancha del Estadio Azteca de esta ciudad.
México, cuarto lugar del Hexagonal Final de la CONCACAF, se mide al ganador de Oceanía, en busca de un cupo para Brasil 2014. El desenlace de la serie se llevará al cabo en Wellington el día 20. El ganador se definirá por marcador global y el primer criterio de desempate es el gol de visitante.
Miguel Herrera, entrenador del América, llegó de emergencia al 'Tri' y convocó a 10 elementos de su plantel, último campeón del fútbol mexicano. De la misma forma, dejó de lado a todos los jugadores mexicanos que militan en Europa, 'Chicharito' Hernández, Giovani Dos Santos y Memo Ochoa, entre otros.
"Claro que vamos a ganar", dijo un Herrera confiado en las tres semanas que lleva al frente del equipo. "Hemos trabajado para ganar, para sacar una ventaja clara y poder viajar con más tranquilidad", agregó.
Por su parte, Nueva Zelanda, asumió a su llegada a México una postura de víctima y aseguró en voz de su técnico, Ricki Herbert, que los obligados son sus rivales.
"Ellos son 21 del mundo, nosotros 79. Es una misión imposible, pero intentaremos ganar", dijo Herbert, quien ya acudió al Mundial con los "All Whites" y logró tres empates en Sudáfrica 2010.
Se espera un lleno en el Estadio Azteca y pese a los intentos de la Federación Mexicana por imponer un horario caluroso para afectar a los visitantes (2:30 pm), el pronóstico es que habrá clima frío con nublados.
El árbitraje correrá a cargo del húngaro, Victor Kassai.
México: Moisés Muñoz, Miguel Layún, Rafael Márquez, Francisco Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Paul Aguilar, Carlos Peña, Luis Montes, Juan Carlos Medina, Raúl Jiménez y Oribe Peralta.
Nueva Zelanda: Glenn Moss, Ivan Vicelich, Tim Myers, Ben Sigmund, Tommy Smith, Tome Faisi, Ian Hogg, Abraham Iniga, Marco Rojas, Nicholas Muri y Jeremy Brockie.
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