Jesus Gallardo shut down criticism with Germany performance

Coming off a historic win against the reigning champions, Mexico delivered a 1-0 win versus Germany in their opening match of the World Cup, with every player inputting a brilliant performance from the start to finish. But there was one player that outshined the rest, something that was not expected given this is only his first World Cup. 23-year-old Jesus Gallardo delivered an illustrious performance that shut down all the criticism that was given to him in recent months.

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Gallardo played all 90 minutes, where he had 7 clearances, 2 blocked shots, 9 interceptions, 2 tackles, and the most importantly, he won 7 out 12 duels throughout the game. He also only committed one foul the entire match! Basically, Gallardo had the game of his life.

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Rayados signed Gallardo from Pumas UNAM a few days before the World Cup, but many hope he is part of a forthcoming group of Mexican players that make the eventual jump to Europe. Osorio couldn't have said it best at the end of the match stating, “Highlighting Jesus Gallardo, 23 years old, Edson Alvarez, 20 years of ages. Who are the future of mexican football.”