DENVER, Colorado – Mexico GK Guillermo Ochoa was the hero for his side in Thursday’s 5-4 penalty shootout win over Costa Rica in the semifinals of the 2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals.
Ochoa stopped the decisive penalty to send El Tricolor to Sunday’s Final after a 0-0 draw with the Ticos.
The veteran shot-stopper doesn’t view himself as a penalty expert, but there is no doubt that along the way the 35-year-old has picked up some tricks to help him become one of the best GKs in the Concacaf region in deny an opponent from the spot.
“Honestly, there are goalkeepers that specialize in penalties, and I don’t consider myself a 100 percent specialist,” said Ochoa in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“I have been fortunate enough to have stopped key penalties with the Mexican national team. One studies opponents, but they study you, too, so that makes it a 50-50 for the two,” added Ochoa.
Rather than focusing on the physical nature of penalties, Ochoa believes that the moment a player starts walking to the spot, the mental game takes over.
“It’s a mind game. It’s a game of the moment, it’s a game of pressure, so one looks for the smallest details, like paying attention to their face, the look on their face perhaps. Some players want to fool you with a look, so you try to study to have maximum information so one as a goalkeeper chooses the right direction. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s just how penalties are. The pressure is much more on the penalty taker than the goalkeeper,” said Ochoa.
Ochoa also boasts an advantage when it comes to facing Final opponent the United States in Concacaf matches. In five official matches against the U.S., Ochoa is unbeaten against his country’s biggest rival, however don’t expect Ochoa to simply assume that streak will continue on Sunday.
“It’s a good stat. Honestly I didn’t know. It’s good to have those kinds of numbers against difficult opponents, who are always a tough opponent in the area, but I never really focus on stats and I’m not going to do it tomorrow nor will my teammates. It’s a new match, it’s a distinct match with different players in each game, so I have to give it the same focus and seriousness as if that stat did not exist,” concluded Ochoa.
