Mexico completed the group stage with a flawless record on Wednesday, defeating the Czech Republic 3-0 at the Estadio Azteca to confirm their status as Group A winners and end the European side’s tournament. The co-hosts, already assured of a last-32 place before kick-off, produced a controlled second-half performance that yielded three goals and a third consecutive clean sheet, while the Czechs departed with a solitary point and the bottom spot in the standings.

The contest was goalless at the interval, with the Czech Republic enjoying more possession but failing to register a shot on target. Mexico, who had rotated five players, broke the deadlock ten minutes after the restart when left-back Mateo Chavez latched onto a through ball from Luis Romo, skipped past a defender and side-footed calmly beyond goalkeeper Matej Kovar for his first international goal. Six minutes later, 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora – the youngest Mexican to start a World Cup match and the sixth-youngest in tournament history – threaded a pass to Jorge Sanchez, whose initial effort was parried; Julian Quinones pounced on the loose ball to double the lead. Substitute Alvaro Fidalgo added a third deep into stoppage time, driving into the top corner from 18 metres to complete the scoring.

The evening also carried a sentimental note when 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was introduced as a late substitute, drawing a thunderous ovation from the near-90,000 crowd as he made his fourth appearance across six World Cup campaigns. Mexican media framed the result as further evidence of a team shedding its historical inhibitions: the margin of victory was the nation’s largest at a World Cup since 1970, and the defence became the first to keep three group-stage clean sheets since Uruguay in 2018. “To be honest, I believed I could achieve it, but not this soon,” Mora told reporters of his rapid rise.

Viewed from Europe, the Czech Republic’s exit prompted sharp questions. The side managed a single shot on target across the entire match and finished the group with one point, having conceded a late equaliser to South Africa in their only other scoring return. Their inability to trouble a much-changed Mexico lineup left commentators across the continent describing the qualification campaign that brought them here as increasingly difficult to explain.

Mexico will return to the Azteca on 30 June for a last-32 tie against a third-placed finisher from Group C, E, F, H or I, carrying an 11-match unbeaten run and the weight of a home crowd that has not seen them lose a World Cup fixture at the venue in nine attempts. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, head home after a campaign that never ignited.