West Ham United forward Javier Hernandez has booked himself a ticket to the World Cup after Mexico beat Panama 1-0 on Friday evening to ensure qualification to next summer’s tournament in Russia.
Chicharito played the full 90 minutes in Mexico City as El Tri became the sixth team to qualify for Russia 2018 after the hosts – who automatically qualify – as well as Brazil, Japan, Iran and Germany, the previous holders.
Hirving Lozano’s second half strike was enough to secure the three points for Juan Carlos Osorio side.
The victory marked Hernandez’s 97th appearance for his country, and the striker can expect to make number 98 next week when Mexico travel to Costa Rica in their next qualifying fixture. Another win will ensure Mexico qualify for next year’s competition as leaders of the CONCACAF qualification table.
Hernandez is Mexico’s all time leading scorer, having found the net an impressive 48 times in his 97 caps.
