Mexico City, 25 June (H.S.):
Mexico continued its impressive run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, defeating Czechia 3-0 to complete a clean sweep of its group-stage campaign. With the victory, Mexico achieved a historic milestone by winning all three of its group matches at a World Cup for the first time.
The star of the match was 22-year-old Mateo Chávez, who put Mexico ahead in the 55th minute in his debut World Cup appearance. Julián Quiñones doubled the lead in the 61st minute, scoring his second goal of the tournament. Deep into injury time, Álvaro Fidalgo added a third goal to seal an emphatic victory.
Mexico’s previous best group-stage performances came in the 1986 and 2002 World Cups, when the team recorded two wins and one draw. Interestingly, Javier Aguirre was associated with both campaigns—first as a player in 1986 and later as head coach in 2002.
Having already secured the top spot in Group A, Mexico will now prepare for its Round of 32 encounter, scheduled to be played on July 1 at Estadio Azteca.
For Czechia, the campaign ended in disappointment. The team managed to collect only one point from three matches and was eliminated from the tournament.
The match also highlighted achievements by both Mexico’s youngest and most experienced players. Seventeen-year-old Gilberto Mora became the youngest player ever to start a World Cup match for Mexico.
Meanwhile, 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, popularly known as “Memo” Ochoa, entered the match in the 77th minute and joined the exclusive group of players to have appeared in six different World Cup editions. The only other players to achieve this feat are Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
However, controversial chants from a section of spectators also drew attention during the match. Similar incidents have previously resulted in disciplinary action against the Mexican Football Federation.
Mexico’s commanding victory has strengthened its status as a serious contender heading into the knockout stage, while Czechia’s journey at the FIFA World Cup 2026 came to an end with the group stage.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
