Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, also known as Memo Ochoa, officially retired from professional football after scripting a massive record on Thursday. He played in Mexico’s final FIFA World Cup 2026 group game against Czechia in Mexico City, which the co-hosts ended up winning 3-0. Ochoa came in as a substitute in the 77th minute of the match. With this final appearance at the age of 40 years and 346 days, he became the oldest player to represent Mexico in the tournament’s history. Ochoa broke the previous record of Rafa Marquez, who had achieved it against Brazil in 2018 at the age of 39 years and 139 days.
Mateo Chavez and Julian Quinones scored in a six-minute span early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday night to win all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.
The 22-year-old Chavez, in his first World Cup, opened the scoring in the 55th minute and Quinones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st. Alvaro Fidalgo added a goal in second-half stoppage time.
Mexico’s previous best group-stage performance was two wins and one draw, done in 1986 and 2002 and both featuring Javier Aguirre, the first as a midfielder and the second as El Tri’s coach. Aguirre is back as coach this year, his third stint leading the team.
Already the winner of Group A, Mexico will play again at Estadio Azteca on Tuesday in a round-of-32 match against an opponent to be determined.
Mexico is undefeated at nine World Cup matches at the massive stadium, which was packed with 80,824 fans on Wednesday. El Tri has only two losses at Azteca, most recently in World Cup qualifying against Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013.
The match included nods to Mexico’s past and future. Gilberto Mora, at age 17, became the youngest Mexico player to start in a World Cup. And 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa entered in the 77th minute, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to appear in six World Cups.
Mexico’s triumph was marred, however, by the return of a homophobic chant by fans that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against its soccer federation. The chant, a one-word slur that literally means male prostitute in Spanish, was heard near the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.
The Czech Republic was eliminated, finishing with one point in three games.
Mexico is unbeaten in 11 games dating to a friendly loss against Panama last November. And Aguirre has made the most of his roster, using 25 of 26 players in the tournament. Chavez was one of five starters Wednesday who did not start last Thursday’s 1-0 win over South Korea.
Ochoa, who wears No. 13, played the last 13 minutes, plus stoppage time, in what’s likely to be his final appearance for Mexico. He turns 41 on July 13 and has said he plans to retire from international competition after the World Cup.
He was a substitute in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and started for Mexico in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Raul Rangel is the starter this year, stepping in for the injured Luis Angel Malagon, who helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup last year. Malagon’s injury opened the door for Ochoa’s return.
(With agency inputs)
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