Mexico beats – Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored in the opening minutes of the second half as Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 Wednesday night, finishing Group A with wins in all three group-stage matches for the first time in World Cup history.
Mexico didn’t just win its third straight match in the group stage—it finished the job with the kind of score line that wipes away any doubt.
On Wednesday night in Mexico City. Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored within a six-minute span early in the second half. and Álvaro Fidalgo added a goal in second-half stoppage time as Mexico defeated the Czech Republic 3-0. With the result, Mexico won all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.
Chávez, playing in his first World Cup at age 22, opened the scoring in the 55th minute. Quiñones then scored in the 61st to make it 2-0, his second goal of the tournament. Fidalgo completed the scoring in stoppage time after the tempo had already swung firmly toward El Tri.
For Mexico, the win closed a chapter it had never written the same way before. The team’s previous best group-stage run—two wins and one draw—came in 1986 and 2002, and both tournament runs featured Javier Aguirre, first as a midfielder and later as the team’s coach.
The Czech Republic’s tournament ended on a stark note. It was eliminated after finishing with one point in three games.
The match carried references to Mexico’s history and hints of what comes next. Gilberto Mora became the youngest Mexico player to start in a World Cup at age 17. Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. 40. entered in the 77th minute. extending a remarkable standard: he joined Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to appear in six World Cups.
Mexico already had Group A wrapped up before kickoff, and the team now turns fully to the next stage. It will play again at Azteca Stadium on Tuesday in a round-of-32 match against an opponent to be determined.
Mexico Czech Republic World Cup Group A Mateo Chávez Julián Quiñones Álvaro Fidalgo Guillermo Ochoa Memo Ochoa Azteca Stadium round of 32