INGLEWOOD, California USA (AP) — Venezuela surprised on the first date of the Copa América by beating Ecuador, a result in which the performance of its goalkeeper Rafael Romo had a lot to do with it.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper made four key saves against the Ecuadorians last week. And along with Costa Rican goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira, he was the one who shined the most between the three sticks on the first date of the continental tournament.
“Thank God things went well for me, I managed to respond and I am happy with my performance, which allowed us to add three points,” Romo said in a press conference. “We have a lot of confidence in what we do and I try to make the most of this opportunity to be a starter.”
Mexico comes into the game with an attack that has produced little in its last games and that has had difficulty generating clear scoring chances, but that can wake up at any moment, especially with forward Santiago Giménez.
The Feyenoord attacker had an outstanding performance in the Eredivisie, but with the Mexican team he has not scored since last year’s Gold Cup.
“From what we see about Mexico, they have quick transitions, they have good mid-distance finishing, they attack well, they seek to finish and we have to be attentive to their forwards, the key will be in the defensive phase,” warned Romo, who plays at the Universidad Católica From Chile.
The goalkeeper from Turén also knows that in the match this Wednesday at the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, he will face a very favorable environment for his rivals, but he does not see it as a differentiator.
“Mexico is a great team that will practically play at home. Furthermore, they have experience and know how to play this tournament,” said the goalkeeper. “But we will look for a good result to continue raising the colors of our country.”
