Mexico beats Czechia 3-0, closes perfect World Cup group stage

Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored six minutes apart, and Mexico beat Chequia 3-0 at Estadio Azteca to close Group A with a perfect 9 points from 9. Álvaro Fidalgo added a stoppage-time goal at 90+4, and the result left Mexico undefeated, unbreached and alone in first place after three group matches.

Javier Aguirre used the night to lean on his bench as much as his starters, making six changes to the lineup and still getting a decisive second-half surge. Chávez opened the scoring in the 55th minute, Quiñones followed in the 61st, and Fidalgo finished the job deep into added time. FIFA named Chávez the Player of the Match, a fitting recognition for the midfielder whose goal broke the game open and set Mexico on course for a result that never looked in doubt after the restart.

The numbers carried historical weight. Mexico won all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time, and it finished a first round without conceding a goal for the first time since 1970. The win also sent Chequia out of the tournament and confirmed Mexico as the winner of Group A, a position that can shape the knockout path as much as any single scoreline.

For Aguirre, the deeper value of the victory came in how it was built. Six changes to the starting XI did not disrupt the rhythm, and the goals came from players who had to deliver under rotation rather than from a fixed core that carried every match. That matters in a tournament that punishes fatigue and exposes thin squads quickly. Mexico did not just bank three wins in the group stage; it showed that the roster could absorb changes, protect a lead and still finish with enough control to add a third goal in the final moments.