The Mexican national team eliminated Argentina in the round of 32 of the U-17 World Cup in Qatar. One of the heroes was Santiago Lopez The Toluca Red Devils' goalkeeper shared his thoughts on the match and acknowledged that Guillermo Ochoa is one of his role models.

Santiago Lopez had a great game against the Argentine national team. Despite conceding an early goal, the goalkeeper looked very confident both between the posts and outside of them.

The Mexican national team's goalkeeper displayed great composure defending the six-yard box, bringing down crosses from the Argentine team. For 86 minutes, Lopez performed impeccably, but a poor clearance allowed Argentina to equalize.

The pressure was on Lopez. That play, which was shown in the highlights, didn't reflect the young Toluca goalkeeper's performance. But football gave him his chance for redemption, and in the same match. Santiago Lopez saved the first penalty in the decisive shootout and then scored the penalty that secured Mexico's qualification for the World Cup Round of 16.

“Saving the first penalty gave me the confidence to save the others and know that I was prepared to take the fifth,” explained Santiago Lopez in an interview with ESPN.

The Example of Guillermo Ochoa

Currently, Guillermo Ochoa is fighting to secure his place on Mexico's roster for the 2026 World Cup. But his legacy endures, and “Memo” is a role model for the new generations of goalkeepers developing in Liga MX. Santiago Lopez is one of those players who looks up to Ochoa.

“I greatly admire 'Memo' Ochoa's career. Honestly, what he has done and achieved is admirable,” stated the goalkeeper born in Aguascalientes.

This news has been tken from authentic news syndicates and agencies and only the wordings has been changed keeping the menaing intact. We have not done personal research yet and do not guarantee the complete genuinity and request you to verify from other sources too.