Mexico's rally falls short, fails to make World Cup knockout round.
Mexico eliminated in World Cup group stage for first time in 44 years
For a long time after the final whistle, Luis Chavez crouched on the field in anguish.
He had just scored in Mexico's furious attempt to stay alive at the World Cup, but the 2-1 victory Wednesday over Saudi Arabia wasn't enough. Because of Argentina's 2-0 victory over Poland in a simultaneous match, Mexico failed to advance out of its group for the first time since 1978.
“We had a chance to qualify,” Chavez said glumly. “We didn't achieve it.”
Mexico had reached the knockout round at the last seven World Cups, second only to Brazil, which has gone through to the round of 16 since 1986.
El Tri went into the match at Lusail Stadium needing both a victory and help from Poland playing across town against Argentina to advance in Group C. Argentina's victory meant goal difference came into play — and Mexico didn't have enough of them.
Henry Martin scored in the 48th minute
to give El Tri hope, and the team's chances got even better with Chavez's goal on a free kick four minutes later.
Mexico tried desperately in the final 20 minutes to get another goal — including an effort by Uriel Antuna in the 87th minute that was ruled offside — but came up short.
“We needed one more goal. I didn't know exactly what happened at the end,” said veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who was playing in his fifth World Cup. “For us, the object was to score three or four goals. It's a shame.”
Salem Aldawsari scored in second-half stoppage time for Saudi Arabia, which was eliminated along with Mexico despite beating Argentina in its opening match.
Martin's goal ended Mexico's 431-minute scoring drought at the World Cup, dating back to their second group match at the 2018 tournament in Russia. It was the team's longest ever stretch without a goal at the tournament.
Mexico opened the tournament in Qatar with a 0-0 draw against Poland but fell 2-0 to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Mexico hadn't been eliminated from the group stage since the World Cup in Argentina 44 years ago. El Tri didn't qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and was banned from the 1990 event in Italy for using overage players at an under-20 tournament.
“I must say that I assume all the responsibility for this massive failure,” Mexico coach Garardo “Tata” Martino said.
Mexico advanced to the round of 16 in its last seven appearances — but no further. El Tri came to Qatar looking to play in an elusive “quinto partido” — a fifth game — for the first time since Mexico hosted the tournament in 1986.
Martino had been roundly criticized for the lack of scoring. He had already been questioned over some of his choices, including his decision to leave alltime leading scorer Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez off the team. Hernandez, who now plays for the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer, scored the team's last goal in a 2-1 group-stage victory over South Korea in Russia.
After the match, Martino said his contract with Mexico had ended with the final whistle.
Ochoa, however, wasn't ready to say if he'd still be with the team in 2026 when Mexico, the United States and Canada will host the World Cup.
“We will see. We will see,” Ochoa said. “Tonight I'm sad so I have to think about that. But maybe that could happen.” ARGENTINA 2, POLAND 0 >> Lionel Messi had a penalty saved but his team still beat Poland after second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez and advanced to the last 16.
After opening the World Cup with a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in one of biggest upsets in the tournament's history, Argentina wound up finishing in first place in Group C and will next play Australia — a surprise qualifier for the knockout stage.
As for Poland, it was ultimately a happy night, too, because the team went through as the group's second-place team — on goal difference ahead of Mexico — and will next play defending champion France.
Messi ended up relieved after failing to score a penalty for the second straight World Cup. It was awarded after he was hit in the face by the flailing hand of Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who made amends by diving to his left to block Messi's kick in the 39th minute.
“I'm upset that I missed the penalty, but the team came back stronger after my error,” he said. AUSTRALIA 1, DENMARK 0 >> Australian soccer may have a new golden generation.
Mathew Leckie scored and the Socceroos beat Denmark to advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup for only the second time.
“I'm just so proud we've been able to put smiles on people's faces,” coach Graham Arnold said, noting this is the first Australian team to win two straight games at a World Cup. “Maybe we're talking about a new golden generation.”
The last Socceroos team to earn that honor got Australia into the knockout stage in 2006. This team did it again, and Arnold believes the achievement is worthy of a national holiday.
The leader of the new generation could be Leckie, who took a pass near the center circle from Riley McGree in the 60th minute and moved around a defender before hitting a left-footed shot past Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
TUNISIA 1, FRANCE 0 >> As France searched for a late equalizer, the players on Tunisia's bench were watching another World Cup match on TV hoping for a Denmark goal.
Neither of them came, giving Tunisia a momentous over defending champion France that still wasn't enough to prevent the north African team from being eliminated.
Wahbi Khazri scored in the 58th minute to lead Tunisia to only its third victory at a World Cup tournament. But it wasn't enough to get them into the round of 16.
France forward Antoine Griezmann thought he had evened the score in the eighth minute of stoppage time but he was ruled offside following a video review.
With France already qualified for the knockout stage, coach Didier Deschamps rested Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and most of his regular starters. Only four of the team lining up at the beginning had even started a World Cup match before.
It was France's first loss at the World Cup since the 2014 quarterfinals, when they lost 1-0 to Germany.