Japan opened the scoring in the 12th minute with the third goal of the tournament for Yuki Otsu. Otsu roofed the ball into the top right corner of the net, leaving Mexican goaltender Jose Corona helpless to stop it.
The Mexicans answered 20 minutes later with a goal by Marco Fabian. Giovani dos Santos delivered excellent service on a corner kick, and a header by Jorge Enriquez put the ball in great position for his Chivas de Guadalajara teammate Fabian, who headed the ball past a helpless Shuichi Gonda for the goal, the first tally scored against the Japanese in these Olympic Games.