Mexico finish the group stage perfect as Ochoa and Mora make history against Czechia

Mexico signed off from the group stage in some style, beating Czechia 3-0 on June 24 to win all three of their Group A matches and finish top of the pool. It is the first time the co-hosts have come through a World Cup group with a 100 percent record, and they did it on a night that handed two of their players a slice of history.

For an hour Czechia held on, and there was little to separate the sides on the scoreboard if not on the run of play. Mexico dominated possession and territory while the Czechs, already needing a small miracle to stay alive, managed just a single shot on target all evening. The breakthrough came eventually, and once it did the floodgates opened.

Three second-half goals settle it

Mateo Chávez broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, the 22-year-old finishing off Mexico’s pressure with his first goal at a World Cup. Julián Quiñones doubled the lead six minutes later for his second of the tournament, and Álvaro Fidalgo rounded off the win deep into stoppage time. Czechia, who needed results to fall their way to have any chance of progressing, bowed out without ever threatening a way back.

If the margin looked emphatic, it was also deserved. Mexico had been the better side throughout and finished the group phase with a maximum nine points, the kind of form that will worry whoever they meet next.

Ochoa and Mora write their names in

The night belonged as much to two individuals as to the team. Guillermo Ochoa, 40, came off the bench in the 78th minute to take part in a sixth World Cup, joining Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men to feature at that many tournaments and becoming the first goalkeeper to do so. The veteran, who has said he will retire after Mexico’s run ends, is now the oldest North American player to appear in a World Cup match.

At the other end of the age scale, 17-year-old Gilberto Mora became the youngest Mexican ever to start a World Cup game. The two milestones, separated by 23 years, summed up a squad blending its old guard with a new generation that has caught the eye throughout the group stage.

Knockouts beckon for the hosts

Top spot in Group A sends Mexico into the round of 32 in form and with momentum, where they will meet one of the best third-placed teams once the group stage finishes. For Czechia, the tournament ends here, a group stage to forget with a single point to show for it.

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