Guillermo Ochoa is no stranger to showing out on the World Cup stage, and he did it again on Tuesday.
The Mexico goalkeeper saved Robert Lewandowski’s penalty kick in the second half of what wound up being a 0–0 draw in both teams’ opening match in Qatar. Ochoa, who earned global acclaim for his play in 2014 in another 0–0 draw, against host Brazil, was tremendous throughout, and both sides walk away with a point. That leaves Saudi Arabia the shocking leader atop Group C after one game, following a surprise 2–1 win over clear favorite Argentina earlier in the day.
The presumption entering the World Cup was that Argentina, which entered on a 36-match unbeaten streak, would coast by the Saudis at the very least, placing additional pressure on Mexico and Poland to win their head-to-head matchup. But with Argentina falling, both sides are slightly ahead of Messi & Co. as they build toward advancement—with Mexico seeking an eighth straight spot in the round of 16 (it has fallen in each of the last seven World Cups at that stage).
