World Cup: Mexico's Rafael Marquez Becomes Third Player To Feature In 5 World Cups

Mexico captain Rafael Marquez has become only the third player to play at five World Cups after he came on as a substitute during Sunday's 1-0 win against defending champions Germany. The 39-year-old was brought for the final 15 minutes to fortify Mexico's defence. Marquez, who hit the field in the 74th minute, equalled the records of Mexico compatriot Antonio Carbajal and Germany's Lothar Matthaus. Italian player Gianluigi Buffon was in the Italy squad for five World Cups from 1998 through 2014, but didn't play in his first tournament.

Marquez first appeared for Mexico at the 2002 World Cup and has since gone on to feature in 2006, 2010, 2014 and now 2018 in Russia.

Marquez played for Barcelona between 2003 and 2010 and plans to retire after the World Cup. He played his last two club seasons with Mexican team Atlas, where he started his professional career in 1996.

Forward Hirving Lozano's 35th-minute goal proved to make the difference in a match played at a very high tempo as four-time champions Germany began their title defence on a disastrous note.

The game opened up at a breathtaking pace, with both Germany and Mexico playing an open game, going on an all-out attack. German striker Timo Werner had the first chance of the match but his drive from a tight angle from the right went wide of the left post.

Ranked 14 places below than the world No.1 Germany, Mexico took the European powerhouse head on, playing a quick counter-attacking game.

(With IANS inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Germany Mexico 2018 FIFA World Cup Football Germany vs Mexico, Match 10