Mexico defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday to achieve a flawless record in the World Cup group stage for the first time in the nation's history. Mateo Chávez and Julian Quinones scored in the second half, with Alvaro Fidalgo adding a goal in stoppage time.
Chávez, 22, opened the scoring in the 55th minute, marking his first World Cup goal. "It was something very beautiful, and I’ll take it with me to the grave," Chávez said. "I imagined it many times; I dreamed of this."
Quinones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st minute. Mexico's previous best group-stage performance was two wins and one draw, accomplished in 1986 and 2002 under coach Javier Aguirre, who is in his third stint leading the national team.
"Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter. We’re achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts," Aguirre said. "Neither the players nor I dwell on what we’ve just done; we’re thinking about what’s next."
Mexico will play its next match at Estadio Azteca on Tuesday in a round-of-32 game. The team is undefeated in nine World Cup matches at the stadium. Gilberto Mora, 17, became the youngest Mexican player to start in a World Cup during Wednesday's match. Additionally, 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa appeared in the 77th minute, becoming one of only three players, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to participate in six World Cups.
"It’s like a dream come true after everything I’ve worked for," Mora said. "Now we have tough opponents ahead. We’re going to keep working to stay on this path. We want to keep advancing because the Mexican national team can become champion."
Ochoa played the final minutes of the match, in what is anticipated to be his last World Cup appearance as he plans to retire from international competition after the tournament. He turns 41 in July. "Life — football — had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off perfectly. For my part, I’ve left it all out there; I gave everything," Ochoa stated. "I leave with nothing left because I poured it all into my teams and the national squad."
He was a substitute in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and started for Mexico in 2014, 2018, and 2022. "I felt Memo had to play... These are coaching decisions, but it was a night for Mexico to honor its legend, Memo," Aguirre commented. Ochoa became the oldest Mexican to play in a World Cup, surpassing Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who was 37 in 2014.
The match was also marked by the recurrence of a homophobic chant from fans, which has led to sanctions against the Mexican soccer federation in the past. The Czech Republic finished the group stage with one point and has been eliminated.
Mexico remains unbeaten in 11 games dating back to a loss against Panama in November. Aguirre has utilized 25 of the team's 26 players in the tournament, highlighting his strategy of involving the entire roster.