One of the standout goalkeepers in Rio so far has been Ochoa. A goalkeeper that likes to sit deep in his area, hanging around the goal line, and rely on his reflexes and athleticism, he has incorporated this in his game approach at the tournament. Applying , he has found a way to play to his strengths, coming together for some cracking saves against headed crosses and long drives.
With his status listed as a free agent, having finished his season in Ligue 1, he is sure to be looking to alert scouts to sort out a new deal once the tournament is over.
Against Cameroon he made a top drawer save in the dying moments of the game. Showing a high concentration level of calmness but also steady awareness, that is key to success at this standard, he has shown he is more than ready to 'switch on' at the last second to make the stop. Teams don't exactly want their goalkeeper to drop off to sleep with little work to do, and Ochoa is proving his mental awareness. Making a diving stop in extension to claw away the ball in the last moments of the game helped ensure Cameroon couldn't get on the score board for Mexico to wrap it up, and should not be underestimated.
And against Brazil, he was also in great form to pull off 3 point (game winning) saves to ensure that Mexico came away with a draw against the tournament favourites. Rushing out to block a 1 on 1 after his defence failed to respond, he also made a great stop to turn Neymar's long range effort past the past (using his cat like and deep reflex style as mentioned) and also to get something behind a headed cross, palming away; most importantly with great positional sense in order to get behind the redirect.
As the games go on, Ochoa is sure to crank it up and show his mettle for goalkeeping fans across the world!!
With his status listed as a free agent, having finished his season in Ligue 1, he is sure to be looking to alert scouts to sort out a new deal once the tournament is over.
Against Cameroon he made a top drawer save in the dying moments of the game. Showing a high concentration level of calmness but also steady awareness, that is key to success at this standard, he has shown he is more than ready to 'switch on' at the last second to make the stop. Teams don't exactly want their goalkeeper to drop off to sleep with little work to do, and Ochoa is proving his mental awareness. Making a diving stop in extension to claw away the ball in the last moments of the game helped ensure Cameroon couldn't get on the score board for Mexico to wrap it up, and should not be underestimated.
And against Brazil, he was also in great form to pull off 3 point (game winning) saves to ensure that Mexico came away with a draw against the tournament favourites. Rushing out to block a 1 on 1 after his defence failed to respond, he also made a great stop to turn Neymar's long range effort past the past (using his cat like and deep reflex style as mentioned) and also to get something behind a headed cross, palming away; most importantly with great positional sense in order to get behind the redirect.
As the games go on, Ochoa is sure to crank it up and show his mettle for goalkeeping fans across the world!!
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