Mexico’s World Cup party keeps getting louder, and Estadio Azteca now has another night for the scrapbook.
El Tri beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday, completing a perfect group stage for the first time in the country’s World Cup history. Mateo Chávez broke through in the 55th minute, Julián Quiñones doubled the lead six minutes later, and Álvaro Fidalgo finished it in stoppage time.
Chávez, 22, called his goal the kind of moment a player carries forever. “It was something very beautiful, and I’ll take it with me to the grave,” he said. “I imagined it many times; I dreamed of this.”
The result changes the picture for Mexico, which tops Group A and will return to the Azteca on Tuesday for a round-of-32 match against an opponent still to be decided. Coach Javier Aguirre, back for his third stint in charge, pushed his players away from celebration mode.
“Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter,” Aguirre said. “We’re achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts.”
The night also belonged to Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. The 40-year-old goalkeeper came on in the 77th minute, joining Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to appear in six World Cups. He kissed the goal post after the match before kneeling down as teammates embraced him.
“Life, football, had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off perfectly,” Ochoa said.
There was a sour note, too. A homophobic chant was heard near the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick, reviving an issue that has previously brought sanctions against Mexico’s federation.
The Czech Republic exits with one point from three games. Mexico moves on unbeaten in 11 matches, with the sports world watching what happens next.
