The Mexican goalkeeper had gloves on fire as he saved slammer after slammer on the 17th of June as the faced Brazil, a team that posed far more threats to Mexico’s spot on the Round of 16 than Cameroon ever did. That match did prove the Brazilians’ mettle as the Mexican midfield fell fast and hard, but all their attempts at scoring a goal failed miserable as Guillermo Ochoa saved each and every ball that came flying his way, starting from Neymar’s header at the 26th minute.
Ouch. Neymar definitely has a bruised head and ego now.
And that was just the beginning. Ochoa moved on to save both easy and challenging goal attempts from the Brazilians, resulting in his second clean sheet in the tournament. He managed to save every single goal that flew his way against Cameroon as well, but the goal attempts were decidedly more in this match.
This World Cup marks Ochoa’s maiden appearance on the pitch. Being benched for the past two world cups and facing severe disappointments after being constantly considered the last option, the 28 –year old’s chance to shine has finally arrived and the young man has indeed dazzled on the pitch. Even Brazilian fans cannot deny the dire challenge this one Mexican poses.
Ochoa is supported by a defence that pumped up its show on the pitch considerably in the second half. They did not play a purely defensive game, thus giving some action for Brazilian goalkeeper Cesar as well. But it was Ochoa who tirelessly saved from beginning to end as the Brazilian refuse to give up and put up a good fight till the very end.
Thiago Silva shot into the goal in the blink of an eye, and the goal was saved even faster by Ochoa in the 86th minute. Talk about quick reflexes!
Facing the relatively tough Croatians who also made in hard for Brazil to win, Mexico’s defence should be well-knit and Ochoa’s hands and reflexes should be at top form to slide Mexico into the Round of 16.
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