CNN
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Mexico ended a seven-match winless streak against bitter rivals the United States, winning 2-0 in front of a raucous home crowd at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.

Striker Raúl Jiménez broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a stunning 30-yard free-kick into the top corner, before turning into César Huerta’s provider to seal the win four minutes into the second half.

The defeat is Mauricio Pochettino’s first as head coach of the US national team in just his second game in charge, but the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager was missing a number of key players.

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi and Tim Weah were all absent after returning to their clubs, although their replacements made little impression on Pochettino.

“It wasn’t a great performance, but this type of game is perfect for us to learn,” the Argentine told reporters, according to Reuters. “Overall, Mexico was slightly better and fully deserved the win.

“For us it is a process. It was a great opportunity for our players to visit a very difficult place to play. We can only improve and learn from this experience.”

Pochettino, who replaced Gregg Berhalter as US head coach last month, started his tenure with a 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday.

In the upcoming international window in November, Pochettino will lead the USMNT in his first competitive match in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League.

The victory marks a much brighter turnaround for Mexico, who were booed by their own fans after giving up a 2-0 lead last weekend to draw against small Valencia team, who are currently 18th in Spain’s La Liga.

“I think the team was aware of the poor performance in Puebla, they wanted to prove to themselves that they could play better,” Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre told AP.

It turned out to be a fitting farewell for Mexican captain Andrés Guardado, who played his 182nd and final match for ‘El Tri’.

The 38-year-old kissed the badge on his shirt as he was substituted after 18 minutes to a rapturous ovation in his home city and was congratulated by teammates as he left the pitch.