Mexico and Giovani dos Santos face a crucial match against Russia on Saturday that will determine if El Tri advance to the Confederations Cup semifinals.
A win or a draw against the hosts in Kazan and Mexico will advance to the semifinals. Mexico presently tops Group A with four points including a win over New Zealand on Wednesday, but the Russians will be no easy task having taken three points from two matches.
When asked ahead of the match about the game’s magnitude, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio described the game as his team’s “judgment day.”
"I honestly think that this is a perfect scenario for Mexican football," said Osorio. "We play away from home against the host team with a lot of support from their fans and fighting for qualification."
If Osorio’s squad get the necessary result, they’ll likely take on World Cup champion Germany or back-to-back Copa America winners in the semifinal on either June 28 or June 29.
