Mexico faced off against New Zealand to defeat them in a crushing comeback during Wednesday's second Group A matchup in Sochi, Russia.

Down 1-0 at the end of the first half, Mexico made a stunning comeback and continued to put pressure on the New Zealanders all throughout the second half and end the game in a 2-1 victory.

In a must-win situation for the Mexican team, they achieved their main objective, which was to gain at least three points in order to qualify for the knockout round of the tournament.

Hoping to throw off the 95th-ranked New Zealand team, Mexico's infamous head coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, made some drastic changes to El Tri's lineup leading up to the big game by switching out eight of his starting players.

Making the Mexican cut for Wednesday's critical game were Alfredo Talavera (12), Nestor Araujo (2), and Raul Jimenez (9), who scored a sensational goal at the 54th minute of the game, among others.

Speaking to reporters upon arrival in Sochi on Monday, Coach Osorio made references to the managerial rotations by saying, "We're thinking of giving opportunities to others to once again put out a very fresh and very competitive team."

In a heated exchange, Coach Osorio reacted rather passionately to a play on the field where Mexican player, Salcedo, had to be stretchered off after the fact.

Mexico now advances to play the host of the tournament, Russia, in the group finale on Saturday.