World Cup: Guillermo Ochoa says Mexico are ready for Brazil

By Mike Dyce | Jun 14, 2014

Mexico got a slim 1-0 lead in their World Cup opener against Cameroon in Group A play on Friday. The scoreline wasn’t indicative of how dominant El Tri were in the game and they could’ve won by a larger 3-0 margin that would have them atop the group table ahead of host nation Brazil, but forward Giovani dos Santos having two goals controversially disallowed for offside.

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Instead, they’re behind Brazil on goal differential but level with three points. It sets up a big clash between the two sides on Tuesday, with first place in the table up for grabs.

Many had been intimidated by Brazil coming into the tournament as the host nation were heavy favorites. The opening game against Croatia exposed Brazil as vulnerable, and they won that game amidst a controversy surrounding favorable calls. More specifically a penalty awarded to Brazil after striker Fred went down in the box rather easily with minimal contact.

That penalty allowed Neymar to score the go-ahead goal from the spot in the second half. Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa says his side is ready for their World Cup match up agains the host nation.

“We’re not nervous about it at all,” Ochoa said, via FIFA.com. “In fact, getting a start like this has calmed our nerves. The team’s only going to get stronger and we’re on the up and up. So we’ll be going into the game in a happy frame of mind and ready for the challenge.”

Ochoa made his first appearance in a World Cup game against Cameroon. He had previously been to two World Cups but had not played.

“I’m pleased I was able to help out my team-mates on the pitch and to have made my debut at last,” Ochoa said.

“I was alert and luckily I was able to chip in with my save.

“The important thing is that we showed how brave we can be. The team looks pretty strong mentally.”