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Guillermo Ochoa Saves Mexico to Move On

By Pedro Dorantes

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Mexico had to go the distance to defeat Costa Rica in the 2019 Gold Cup quarterfinals. It all came down to a save by Guillermo Ochoa in the very last moment of the game.

First Half

The game had a shaky start as both Mexico and Costa Rica could not control ball possession. There were impressions and mistakes during the first five minutes of the game. From that point the match got physical as Mexico and Los Ticos were still in the feeling out process. 

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Jonathan Dos Santos took the first shot of the game at the fifth minute, resulting in a save by goalkeeper Leonel Moreira. The Mexican squad struggled at midfield, lacking ball control. Despite that, they showed crisp passes inside the final third of the pitch.

The Costa Rican team found plenty of space to move around near Ochoa’s box but had no finish to their scoring chances. Celso Borges went wide on a dangerous free kick at the 30th minute. Costa Rica took control of the pace of play right around the 35th minute.

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El Tri breathed a sigh of relief as Raul Jimenez sent the ball into the bottom of the net aided by a cross from Rodolfo Pizarro. Despite not being the better team on the field, the Aztec XI was up by one at the 43rd minute.

Halftime arrived with the scoreboard 1-0 for El Tri.

Second Half

The second half started in frenetic fashion as the pace of play was fast. El Tri had a couple of chances during the opening minutes off the half thanks to Uriel Antuna.

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Joel Campbell went down in the box right at the 50th-minute mark. Referee John Pitti awarded a penalty to Costa Rica and Bryan Ruiz converted chance moments later to level the score.

El Tri seemed eager to regain the lead as soon as possible as they were knocking on Costa Rica’s door right after the equalizer. Jimenez aimed for the top corner of the net at the 57th minute with a powerful shot saved by the Tico keeper. 

The physicality of the match was turned up a notch after the tying goal. Defenders Carlos Salcedo, Nestor Araujo and, Oscar Duarte made a few hard challenges on their respective opposition. Costa Rica seemed to let their feet off the gas as fatigue became an evident issue by the 80th minute. 

The score was 1-1 by the end of regulation. Extra time was next. 

Extra Time

Fatigue was even more evident at the start of extra time as both squads had a sluggish start. Mexico manager Gerardo Martino was booked with a yellow card after arguing with the referees. 

Rodolfo Pizarro had a good chance at the 97th minute thanks to superb passing inside the box. Unfortunately for El Tri, the Monterrey striker went wide. Minutes later, Moreira came up strong once again for Costa Rica, saving a shot by Carlos Rodriguez. 

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The score was still leveled after 105 minutes of play. There would be 15 minutes left to play.

The Tico XI made its way into the box cutting from the side the pitch at the 108th minute. Despite their good chances, Ochoa stood strong on goal. 

After some close calls, the score remained tied after 120 minutes of play. The game hanged on a penalty shootout.

Guillermo Ochoa Saves The Day

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Mexico started the shootout off the wrong foot as Jimenez missed the first kick. On the other hand, Borges converted on his first penalty kick. El Tri trailed from the penalty spot until Randall Leal went wide at the third round of the shootout. Martino’s team then took the lead and forced sudden death.

Guillermo Ochoa, once again, emerged the hero as he saved a shot by Keysher Fuller after a conversion by Carlos Salcedo, securing a semi-final spot.

Final Score: 

Mexico 1(5)-1(4) Costa Rica

El Tri will take on Haiti in Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium next Tuesday.

Take a look back at Mexico’s game against Martinique right here

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