Mexico face up to their most terrifying opponent: the ghost of World Cup game four | Mexico

In Mexico, the phrase ya merito (“almost there”) is closely linked to the country’s men’s football team.

In Mexican Spanish, it’s a colloquial, almost affectionate expression; a way of describing something that’s close enough to touch, but that can never quite be reached. Now the phrase seems to capture something more profound about Mexico’s national team – shorthand for El…