Mexico and Poland play out 0-0 draw at World Cup
Doha, Nov 22: Robert Lewandowski's second-half penalty attempt was saved by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, leaving Poland to settle for a 0-0 draw Tuesday at the World Cup.
It was Lewandowski's first penalty miss for the national team. Poland's all-time leading scorer with 76 goals remains without a World Cup goal.
Lewandowski was awarded the penalty following a VAR review after Hector Moreno got hold of his shirt and pulled him down.
Ochoa, playing in his fifth World Cup, came up yelling in celebration after his stop, sending the crowd into chants of "Memo!"
While Mexico dominated possession, Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny turned away all three of El Tri's shots on goal.
The scoreless draw was a good result for Argentina, which was upset by Saudi Arabia 2-1 in an earlier Group C match. The Argentines, led by Lionel Messi, were widely considered to be the favourites to advance.
Mexico has made it to the knockout round in the last seven World Cups, but the "quinto partido," or fifth game, has eluded the team.
El Tri's best showing at the World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986 as hosts.
Poland was making its second straight World Cup appearance. The team was eliminated in the group stage in 2018.
Jorge Sanchez had a good chance for Mexico in the 44th minute but Szczesny, who plays for Juventus, pushed it over the crossbar.
It was Ochoa's denial of Lewandowski, who moved from Bayern Munich to Barcelona this season and has 13 goals in 14 appearances, that brought the stadium filled with mostly green jerseys to their feet.
It wasn't the first time Ochoa had come up big on football's biggest stage: In 2014 he made six saves in a scoreless draw with Brazil, which was among the favorites as the tournament's host. He even denied Brazil striker Neymar on a header and afterward called it the "game of a lifetime."
El Tri has been dogged by criticism heading into the World Cup.
Mexico's all-time leading scorer, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, was left off the roster for Qatar by coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino. Hernandez, who currently plays for the LA Galaxy, had played in the last three World Cups, but hasn't appeared with the national team since 2019.
Martino was also criticised for including Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez, who has struggled with a groin injury. Replaced by Henty Martin to start, Jimenez came in as a substitute in the second half.
The match was played at 974 Stadium, named after Qatar's country code. The stadium was built from old shipping containers and will be eventually dismantled Qatar's solution to the "white elephant" stadiums that went largely unused after other World Cups.
There was also history made. Stephanie Frappart of France became the first woman to officiate a men's World Cup match, serving as the fourth official.
Frappart joins Japan's Yamashita Yoshimi and Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga among the 36 referees selected for the tournament.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Shocked by PM’s remarks on Shakti scheme causing loss to metro: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said that he is "shocked" by the reported statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the "Shakthi scheme had resulted in loss of revenue for the Bengaluru metro".
Under the 'Shakti' scheme implemented by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, women can avail free travel in state-run buses.
Hitting out at Modi, the state deputy chief minister said that the prime minister lacks information on the Shakthi scheme and hence he has said that it has impacted revenues of the Bengaluru metro.
"Namma metro has earned a revenue of Rs 130 crore in the last one year. Footfalls too have gone up by 30 per cent for the same period. Bengaluru metro is limited to Bengaluru, while the Shakthi scheme is rolled out, keeping in mind people from across the state," he told reporters here.
The Shakthi scheme is rolled out by the Congress to ease the burden of price rise and inflation on women, Shivakumar said.
"Metro is a joint initiative between the State and the Centre and it has done well over the last one year. Someone seems to have provided incorrect information to the prime minister," he added.
"I would like to convey to the PM that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru metro are being run efficiently while offering the Shakthi scheme to women. Women are taking 60 lakh trips per day in Karnataka. They are very happy with the Shakthi scheme. Many other states are expressing interest in Shakthi scheme," he said.
PM Modi has reportedly spoken in an interview on bus and the Metro rail services and whether or not he made a specific reference to Karnataka is not known.
When asked if there was a shortage of buses in North Karnataka, Shivakumar said, "We have already taken a decision to buy 1,000 new buses. Of these, 100 buses have been allocated to Ramanagara district. Buses will be allocated to North Karnataka as well.
"We are not looking at making profits from KSRTC. We are only ensuring it doesn’t make losses. The government is reimbursing the cost of tickets under the Shakthi scheme," he said.
