Edson Álvarez helped Mexico secure a 2-2 friendly international draw with Germany in the United States on Tuesday evening.
The West Ham United midfielder was in the starting XI as Jaime Lozano’s side came from a goal down, took the lead, before ultimately settling for a share of the spoils in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger put Germany in front with a header on 25 minutes before Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller had a second goal disallowed for offside. Cruz Azul winger Uriel Antuna levelled eight minutes before half-time with a first-time finish.
Mexico went in front less than two minutes after the break when Antuna crossed from the right and Pachuca midfielder Érick Sánchez got in front of his man to plant a diving header past Marc-André ter Stegen.
However, Julian Nagelsmann’s side were back on terms within five minutes when substitute Niclas Füllkrug of Borussia Dortmund fired in a loose ball. Álvarez was then booked on what was his 72nd cap for his country as both teams created but passed up chances to score a winner.
Elsewhere in the United States, Mohammed Kudus played for 75 minutes as Ghana were beaten 4-0 by the US at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
Playing for Ghana for the 25th time, the winger saw Giovanni Reyna of Dortmund, twice, Christian Pulisic of AC Milan and Folarin Balogun of Monaco all find the net in the first half.
Earlier, Jarrod Bowen, Callum Marshall and Michael Forbes were unused substitutes for England and Northern Ireland respectively in UEFA European Championship qualifying. England defeated Italy 3-1 at Wembley to secure qualification for the 2024 finals in Germany, while Northern Ireland lost 1-0 at home to Slovenia and are eliminated.
Alphonse Areola was also an unused substitute for France as Didier Deschamps' side defeated Scotland 4-1 in a friendly in Lille.
In Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Nayef Aguerd started and was booked as Morocco defeated Liberia 3-0 in Agadir. Among Morocco’s scorers was Ayoub El Kaabi, who could face Aguerd for Greek club Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League next week.
The win saw Morocco top Group K ahead of South Africa, with both securing passage to the finals, which will take place in Ivory Coast in January-February 2024.
At age-group level, Krisztián Hegyi started but ended on the losing side as Hungary U21s were beaten 1-0 by their Belgian counterparts in UEFA European U21 Championship qualifying in Budapest. Hungary ended their Group B campaign fourth of six nations, with 14 points from ten games, and missed out on qualification.
Divin Mubama started and played for 78 minutes as England’s Elite League Squad – formerly known as the U20s – were beaten 2-1 at home by Portugal in Milton Keynes.
