Goals: None
Recap: An enthralling encounter between Mexico and Brazil saw no winner on Tuesday, ending 90 minutes of inspired football in a scoreless draw.
A mildly entertaining first half left both sides leveled at zero, thanks to a pair of world-class saves from Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa. A sixth kept the match scoreless into the dying minutes. A deserving draw sees both teams tied atop Group A with four points. Brazil, however, own the tiebreaker via goal differential.
Key Moment: Ochoa wasn't responsible for just one key moment. He was responsible for four. Fully extended, the 28-year-old denied Neymar his third goal of the tournament. Ochoa would continue his scorching form just before the half, thwarting a clear-cut opportunity for David Luiz. The trifecta was completed in the second half after Neymar once again failed to score. Ochoa secured his well-deserved clean sheet with one final stop just before the final whistle.
Honorable mention to Maza Rodriguez's cleared header in the 47th minute, denying Brazil yet another clear goalscoring opportunity.
Man of the Match: Six saves. Two crosses claimed. One timely smother. Look no further than Memo Ochoa.
Lesson Learned: Brazil has done nothing to warrant the title of "World Cup favorites." The host nation benefited from a gifted penalty in the tournament opener and were pushed to the limit by a gritty Mexican side. It's only the group stage. The level of competition will only heighten, and so too will the pressures to succeed. Brazil has 180 minutes of film that indicate the team will ultimately succumb to them.
Mexico, on the other hand, has been inspired since Miguel Herrera was appointed in 2013. A more charismatic and determined El Tri have arrived in Brazil—one more than capable of advancing to the Round of 16.
Up Next: Mexico travels to Recife to determine its fate against Croatia on June 23, while Brazil visits Brasilia to face Cameroon.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
