Mexican soccer fans celebrated deep into a rainy night after El Tri found the net three times in the second half to ease past Czechia and complete its first-ever perfect group stage performance at a World Cup.
With Wednesday’s 3-0 victory at Mexico City Stadium, El Tri finished atop Group A with a 3-0-0 record and remains one of just four teams yet to concede a goal.
Coach Javier Aguirre’s men can now rest and watch how the Round of 32 knockout bracket fills in, knowing they will face a yet-to-be-determined third-place finisher next Tuesday in Mexico City.
The team’s perfect record and +6 goal differential ensures that El Tri will finish no worse than fifth-best after the group stage, and thus be matched with one of the worst third-place finishers.
A pedestrian first half saw Czechia exert pressure during the first 20 minutes, nearly scoring in minute 8 when a Denis Visinsky shot zipped just wide of Raúl Rangel’s right post.
Mexico opened the second half more assertively: After El Tri survived a series of nervy set pieces deep in its defensive zone, Israel Reyes sent a long clearance to midfield that Luis Romo — hero of Mexico’s 1-0 win over South Korea — brought down in traffic.
NO HAY NADA MAL EN ESTE VIDEO🥹
Golazo de Mateo Chávez, el rugido del Azteca, cómo tiembla la cámara, la narración, el festejo en grupo, VIVA MÉXICO!!!!! https://t.co/307iOkHLoi pic.twitter.com/8oZwLHYAsu
— Carlos Villaseñor ⚽️📱 (@VillasenorC_) June 25, 2026
Romo fought off three Czech defenders and poked the ball into the path of Cup debutante Mateo Chávez, who was racing forward on the right side. Chávez eluded a last-gasp sliding tackle about 35 meters from goal, dribbled into the box and cleanly beat Czech keeper Matěj Kovář, calmly slotting inside the far post with his left boot.
Six minutes later, a nifty through-pass by teenager Gilberto Mora freed Jorge Sánchez into the box. Kovář got to the ball first but fumbled it and Julián Quiñones pounced, banging home from close range to make it 2-0.
Álvaro Fidalgo added a third in stoppage time, putting an exclamation point on a festive night at the Estadio Azteca that included a farewell tribute to legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Ochoa, on an El Tri World Cup roster for a record sixth time, was inserted in as a late sub when Mexico was ahead 2-0, eliciting a roar from the 81,000 in attendance. The 40-year-old Guadalajara native who brilliantly back-stopped underwhelming Mexico teams at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups announced last month that he was hanging up his gloves once the tournament ends.
Mexican refs in the spotlight
Earlier Wednesday, César Ramos served as referee in the Brazil-Scotland Group C match, his record-setting ninth World Cup game in charge.
Not only did Ramos, a Sinaloa native, surpass compatriot Armando Archundia’s eight World Cup matches, he is now tied for second-most with Argentine Néstor Pitana.
With considerable opportunity to get another assignment or two, Ramos is only two matches behind the all-time record held by Uzbeki ref Ravshon Irmatov (11 World Cup matches in 2010, 2014 and 2018).
Ramos held the whistle in three games in Russia 2018, four games in Qatar 2022 and now two at the 2026 World Cup.
Another Mexican referee, Katia Itzel García, will make history on Thursday.
García, a Mexico City native, is poised to become just the third woman in charge of a men’s World Cup match, appointed head referee for the Netherlands-Tunisia Group F match in Kansas City.
Just four years ago, France’s Stephanie Frappart was the first woman to serve as center ref at a men’s World Cup. American Tori Penso was in charge of the Czechia-South Africa match just last week, setting the stage for García, who has already served as fourth official for three matches at this year’s World Cup.
Mexico News Daily
