A sellout of 88,409 at the LA Coliseum saw Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez find the back net against Ecuador on Saturday night.
By Ivan Yeo
It has been a long stretch for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
Hernandez has found playing time scarce over the last few months, as he has gotten on the field just 13 times this season for Real Madrid, scoring three goals in the process. Before that, Hernandez had started to see his playing time at another soccer powerhouse, Manchester United, dwindle as well, which set in motion his move to Real Madrid on loan.
So people, particularly fans of the Mexican national team, had to wonder if his lack of playing time at Santiago Bernabeu would have any sort of effect on his performance for El Tri. Well on Saturday, in front of 88,409 fans at the LA Coliseum, Hernandez put to rest any doubts surrounding his current form while also sending a reminder to all soccer fans that he still has his goal scoring touch, as his goal early in the first half propelled Mexico to a 1-0 win over Ecuador.
“It was exciting to be back out there,” Hernandez said. “It’s a very great feeling that I’m looking for everyday to try to have that feeling.”
The play began near midfield, as Hernandez made spin move to evade Arturo Mina, the ball got away from Hernandez but teammate Andres Guardado came in to keep the play alive for Mexico. Guardado passed a ball for Giovani Dos Santos, Ecuardor’s Frickson Erazo cut off the pass, but Hernandez managed to swipe the ball from Erazo and dribbled towards the penalty area. Hernandez then fired a shot from just outside the penalty area that hit off the inside of the right post and across the goal line to sent the capacity crowd at the Coliseum into a frenzied pitch.
“It was a great goal,” Hernandez said.
The goal was not the only highlight for Hernandez, as he made several dangerous runs to get behind the Ecuador defense, resulting in several scoring chances. Hernandez’s continued activity around Ecuador’s net nearly resulted in a second goal for Mexico in the 81st minute. Guardado played Hernandez into the penalty area, Hernandez took a touch, Ecuardor’s Walter Ayovi came in and took a touch himself, Mexico’s Raul Jimenez came in and attempted a diving header towards goal, but Ecuador keeper Alexander Dominguez parried the ball, which then hit off the crossbar and back into play.
The win and the goal had to be a nice escape for Hernandez, who has been through a lot over the last calendar year. Chicharito came off the bench in all four of Mexico’s World Cup matches, then went through uncertainty throughout the Summer of 2014 as rumors swirled about where he would play during the 2014-2015 season. Those questions were answered in September, as he was sent to Real Madrid on a season-long loan. However, not much changed for Hernandez as a result of the move, as Hernandez went from competing with Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie among others for playing time at Old Traffod to competing with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema among others at the Bernabeu. Hernandez has not played in a competitive match in four months.
“It’s not easy to go four months sitting on the bench and not having a lot of opportunities,” Hernandez said. “Miguel (Herrera) trusted me, gave me 90 minutes on this pitch, and it was a very good game not just for me, but the entire squad.”
Hernandez however put all that aside on Saturday night, looking every bit like the player on the verge of setting Mexico’s all-time goals record. Maybe his club situation may be in flux, but at least on the international level, Hernandez showed that he still has what it takes to excel at a high level.
