MEXICO CITY (AP) — One of the biggest questions surrounding the Mexican national team ahead of the World Cup was who would start in net.
Would it be the inexperienced Raúl Rangel, who hadn’t played a single official match for El Tri? Or the great Guillermo Ochoa, the team’s anchor since 2014?
Coach Javier Aguirre bet on youth, and it turned out to be a wise decision.
The 26-year-old Rangel made a spectacular 87th-minute save against South Korea to help the co-hosts secure a dramatic 1-0 victory and become the first team to reach the knockout stage of this year’s World Cup.
With two shutouts already under his belt, Rangel has matched the feat of the iconic Jorge Campos. In Mexico’s next match against the Czech Republic, he will try to emulate Ignacio Calderón, the only Mexico goalkeeper to record three clean sheets in a single World Cup — achieved at home in 1970.
“Raúl has shown great determination since we first called him up. He was Luis Ángel Malagón’s backup, but he persevered and just kept improving,” Aguirre said. “He played well with his club, Chivas, and improved day by day. Few players debut with such ease; usually, they have to learn by making mistakes. He seemed a bit nervous in the first match, but he did well.”
Rangel’s rise to World Cup stardom was very unexpected. He was playing in the second division with Tapatío only three years ago, he became a starter with Chivas just a year ago, and Malagón was the favorite to start for Mexico after leading the team to CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup titles, but a ruptured left Achilles tendon in March ruled him out.
Even then, doubts lingered over whether Aguirre would trust Rangel on the world stage or default to the veteran experience of Ochoa. At 40 years old, Ochoa is attending his sixth World Cup, having started in 2014 in Brazil, four years later in Russia, and then at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
History almost repeated itself for Ochoa. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ochoa was poised to be the starter, but Aguirre — also the coach back then — belatedly benched him in favor of veteran Óscar Pérez. This time, Aguirre went with youth.
Despite being relegated to the bench, Ochoa has embraced the role of teacher.
“I have to thank ‘Memo,’ who has been a true mentor to me. I say it openly, he has helped me a lot,” Rangel said. “He has instilled in me the serenity he brings every day, despite all the World Cups he has played in.”
After the match against South Korea, Ochoa waited for Rangel to greet him and hugged him before making his way to the locker room.
“Having Guillermo Ochoa behind me raises the level and intensity in all aspects, and that helps me mature. Knowing that I have a figure like him behind me, or beside me, supporting me, competing for the position, gives me a lot of confidence,” Rangel said.
“Feeling like favorites would lead to complacency, and the team isn’t ready for that,” Rangel said about starting with two wins. “The team needs to focus on one game at a time, knowing that we’re going to face tough opponents and avoiding overconfidence.”
By keeping two clean sheets in his first two matches, Rangel equaled Ochoa’s own debut run from 2014. Ochoa would go on to collect additional shutouts in 2018 and 2022, holding the Mexican record for the most total clean sheets in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Campos, famous for his colorful uniforms and acrobatic style, recorded two shutouts over the 1994 and 1998 tournaments.
If Rangel manages to shutout the Czech Republic, he will equal Calderón’s Mexican mark — though he will still be chasing the ultimate milestone. Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga holds the all-time World Cup record, keeping five consecutive clean sheets during the 1990 tournament.
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