Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa Hailed as World Cup Legend After Penalty Save vs. Poland
Rob Goldberg@@TheRobGoldberg
Featured Columnist IVNovember 22, 2022
Mexico settled for a 0-0 draw against Poland in its opening match of the 2022 World Cup.
With little production from the attack, it was goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa who left as the hero for Mexico on Tuesday. He came through with the game's biggest moment, saving a penalty kick from Polish star Robert Lewandowski in the 58th minute:
Fans were going wild watching the 37-year-old veteran in goal:
The Athletic Soccer @TheAthleticSCCRThe legend of Guillermo Ochoa continues to grow 🇲🇽<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MEX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MEX</a> <a href="https://t.co/5qrrtsfhwF">pic.twitter.com/5qrrtsfhwF</a>
Amil Bhatnagar @AmilwithanLAverage club season but in World cups, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ochoa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ochoa</a> is literally Superman. This is his fifth. Truly a legend. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldcupQatar2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldcupQatar2022</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MexicovsPoland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MexicovsPoland</a>
FIFA World Cup Stats @alimo_philip🇲🇽 This is 5th time Guillermo Ochoa is playing for Mexico at the FIFA World Cup.<br><br>🇩🇪 Germany 2006 <br>🇿🇦 South Africa 2010 <br>🇧🇷 Brazil 2014 <br>🇷🇺 Russia 2018 <br>🇶🇦 Qatar 2022 <br><br>🔝 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> Legend 🕷️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MEX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MEX</a> |<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/POL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#POL</a> |<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qatar2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Qatar2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/QgJNPe7ToK">pic.twitter.com/QgJNPe7ToK</a>
It was one of only two saves in the match for Ochoa, but he did enough to earn a clean sheet against a quality opponent.
The match featured few other real chances, although Mexico appeared to be the more aggressive team. The team had five shots to Poland's one in the first half, but they couldn't take advantage of opportunities.
Joe Prince-Wright @JPW_NBCSportsReally good first half from Mexico. Dominant and have had the better chances. If Raul Jimenez is fit enough, he could have a lot of joy in the final 30 minutes of this game. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElTri?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ElTri</a> whipping in plenty of good crosses. Poland haven’t got going and Lewandowski has hardly had a kick.
There weren't many more quality looks in the second half for either team outside of the missed penalty, resulting in a scoreless draw.
Saudi Arabia is now the surprising team on top of Group C after an upset win against Argentina earlier on Tuesday. Mexico will now face a desperate Argentina squad on Saturday as both sides look to gain three important points.
