Ochoa slams door on Brazil

Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa produced one of the great World Cup goalkeeping performances on Tuesday, denting host Brazil's confidence and boosting his own job prospects by backstopping his team to a scoreless draw.

The 28-year-old, who has no club, hurled himself across the goal to parry away a Neymar shot and kept out a point-blank header by Brazil captain Thiago Silva in an astounding game.

While the player nick-named 'Memo' took a lap of honor at Castelao stadium, admirers were likening his agility to Gordon Banks' miracle save for England in 1970 when he stopped a header by Brazil's legendary Pele.

Ochoa, who keeps his curly hair out of his eyes with a blue headband, said "undoubtedly it was the best match of my life".

Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari might give him a top job reference after the performance slowed his side's advance to the second round.

"We had our chances but the goalkeeper played superbly," said Scolari. "He is a very good goalkeeper who had a very good day and it is because of that we didn't win. He was spectacular; very calm and confident."

Ochoa is without a regular job as his two-year contract with French league side Ajaccio has expired. The team was relegated to the second division this season.

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said Ochoa had not been an automatic choice as the squad's No 1 goalkeeper, but Herrera called the performance "incredible".

Ochoa's job with Ajaccio could have been in doubt after he was implicated in a doping scandal with four Mexico teammates in 2011 just after his move to France. All tested positive for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol.

Ochoa protested his innocence but it left him in limbo for a year. He was thrown out of the Gold Cup in June that year while waiting for the Mexican federation to decide his fate. He was cleared.

Ochoa, who is in his third World Cup finals but only played his first game against Cameroon last week, stayed loyal to Ajaccio after he was cleared by the federation, which found that the players had eaten meat contaminated with the steroid.

"At Ajaccio I found the ideal conditions where I could feel at home," he said. "It was the only club which held its hand out to me during the doping affair. Obviously that created strong bonds, and I will never forget them."

However, Ochoa was not the only goalkeeper in form in Fortaleza on Tuesday. Just as the World Cup host was successfully stifled, Julio Cesar of Brazil kept his sheet clean with some impressive saves.

Ochoa twice denied Neymar, diving at full stretch to turn the Brazil striker's header round the post in the 26th minute and then blocking his shot in the 69th.

"The (Neymar) header was the most complicated; it was a hard header and close to the post - that was my favorite save," Ochoa said.

Four minutes before the end, Ochoa pulled off another superb save to block a header from captain Silva after he met a free kick from Neymar.

After referee Cuneyt Cakir blew the final while, Mexico players lined up to hug their keeper.

"I can't remember another Mexican goalkeeper doing such a great job in the World Cup," coach Herrera said. "I'm happy for any player to have that role, but tonight, Memo was the hero."

With Mexico at four points from two games, the same as Group A leader Brazil, Ochoa's saves have kept his team on course for the second round.

"Things went our way and now we've got to keep going," he said.

Brazil coach Scolari said he was pleased with his team's performance, but he had no doubt about the reason for its failure to win.

"I didn't like their goal-keeper because he was spectacular," he said. "He was calm and confident, and for me he was the man of the match."

(China Daily 06/19/2014 page24)