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By Tyler Erzberger
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Coming into the World Cup, Mexico was looking to establish an identity for themselves.
After three group stage games and 9 points, no one can question what this Mexican team is great at: defense.
Mexico not only topped their group with three-straight wins, but they did it without conceding a single goal in the back of their net. They had so much control over their games that they let 40-year-old legend "Memo" Ochoa have one final time in net as goalkeeper in their finale against Czechia.
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Do they deserve the highest grade possible, or was their dominance not as spotless as it seems?
Let's take a look.
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Expectation
Mexico came into the World Cup with a lot of mystery shrouding it. When it came to pure name power, this Mexican team didn't hold the same stars of previous versions. While they hold one of the best home advantages in the sport, there was a wonder if that would be enough to get through Group A as the top team.
A win over South Africa to open was seen as a guarantee, but how about South Korea and Czechia? Qualifying out of the group never seemed to be in doubt, but that first place mantle wasn't promised by any stretch.
Reality
No, it wasn't the flashiest or prettiest like their lineup, but they blanked teams through all three games. South Africa looked clueless against them; South Korea looked scared to attack them; and Czechia, needing a win to make the next round, were befuddled all night long in Mexico City.
When opportunities arose, like when South Korea's goalkeeper made a blunder, Mexico snapped on it and scored. While the highlight reel of their group stage won't show the best synchronization up top, it will show you a team that was structured extremely well and almost never felt uneasy when the opposing team had the ball.
9 points. 0 goals against. I don't care if it wasn't Pele's Brazil or 2010 Spain in terms of cohesion. This was an ace performance.
Final Grade: A
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