LONDON – Mexico is headed to its first Olympic men’s soccer final after coming back from a deficit to beat Japan 3-1 on Tuesday before more than 82,000 fans at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium.

The Japanese, who, like the Mexicans, came into the match unbeaten in the 2012 London Games, dominated at the start, jumping out to a 1-0 lead with a goal by Otsu in the 12th minute.

Instead of panicking, the Mexican squad set about methodically taking control of the contest.

Marco Fabian’s strike at the 30-minute mark evened the score and Giovani dos Santos had a chance to put Mexico ahead before the intermission, but failed to connect.

With Dos Santos benched, Mexico started the second half flat and the Japanese mounted a pair of credible attacks. The Latin American side regrouped, however, and Oribe Peralta gave Mexico the advantage with a blistering shot in the 65th minute.

A recent addition to the team, Javier Cortes, put the cherry on top for Mexico with a goal in the 93rd minute. EFE