Mexico vs. Brazil was chock full of stars like Neymar, Fred, and Oscar for the Brazilians, as well as Oribe Peralta, Rafael Marquez, and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on the Mexican side. However, among those flashy goal scorers and playmakers, Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa stood out.
In a tense matchup in which the shot attempts were relatively even, Brazil did the better job of optimizing their attempts and getting them on goal. That didn't matter most of the time though, as Ochoa essentially acted as a giant, impenetrable wall.
A wall with supreme flexibility, reflexes, and instincts.
Ochoa stopped six shots in their tracks, including two off the appendages of Brazilian wunderkind Neymar. The rising star has hopes of playing in the UEFA Champion's League, and he's certainly improving his stock in that regard in this Cup.
"My priority is to stay in France, but I am open to any propositions," Ochoa told L'Equipe. "I have improved in the last three years, most notably in handling the pace of games. But I was used to top competition when I played in Mexico. I now need to play in the Champions League to be sure of my level."
While playing in the Champions League would absolutely help him learn his place in the football hierarchy, his performance today against the World Cup hosts, and favorites to hoist the trophy, was undeniable.
Unfortunately for Memo and his Mexican compatriots they were unable to convert any of their chances against Brazil's keeper Julio Cesar, but the draw against the hometown favorites is a favorable result.
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