Belgium earn draw against Mexico in friendly thanks to Dodi Lukebakio magic

Mexico, or El Tri as they are known, kicked off the match with real energy, pressing hard against Belgiums Red Devils backline, and they got their reward by going ahead in the 19th minute. From a corner taken on the left side, the ball ended up with Jorge Sanchez, who prodded it over the line from close range, just six yards from goal, to put Mexico ahead and claim his third goal at international level.

Aguirres team kept up their strong showing and nearly extended their lead soon after the halfway point of the first half, as Julian Quinones had a couple of chances stopped. The striker from Al Qadsiah had his opening shot cleared away impressively from a dangerous spot, and then, right on the next move, his strike from near the edge of the area pulled off a good stop from Matz Sels.

Belgiums manager Rudi Garcia had a lot to consider during the break, given that his players had managed just a single shot across the entire opening period. Yet his halftime talk clearly hit the mark, with the Red Devils surging forward energetically as the second half got underway.

In an incredible turn, Belgium drew level barely a minute into the restart, when Dodi Lukebakio collected a ball from Youri Tielemans and unleashed a stunning 20 yard shot that found the net.

Curiously, the game settled into a quieter rhythm for the rest of the duration, with hardly any real threats emerging for either team. The pace and drive that El Tri brought in the opening 45 minutes faded completely after the interval, and the Red Devils struggled to produce anything more after Lukebakios exquisite effort.

Towards the latter part of the second half, both managers introduced several replacements in an effort to spark some life into the proceedings, but in the final analysis, the sides could not be pulled apart as the international break wrapped up.

With this stalemate, Mexico extend their unbeaten run to five outings and will take on Ghana at home on Friday 22nd May in another preparatory match, coming in under a month ahead of the World Cup kick off. For their part, Belgium seek a return to success on Tuesday 2nd June, travelling to face Croatia in a key friendly prior to launching their own World Cup bid.