Mexico completed a perfect World Cup group stage for the first time in their history on Wednesday, beating the Czech Republic 3-0 at a packed Estadio Azteca to top Group A with three wins from three matches.
Mateo Chavez opened the scoring in the 55th minute, his first World Cup goal, before Julian Quinones doubled the lead six minutes later, his second of the tournament.
Alvaro Fidalgo added a third in stoppage time to seal a commanding victory in front of 80,824 fans in Mexico City.
Mexico's previous best group-stage return was two wins and one draw, achieved in 1986 and 2002, both occasions featuring Javier Aguirre, first as a midfielder and later as head coach.
Now in his third stint managing El Tri, Aguirre has surpassed those benchmarks with a squad he has repeatedly described as a family.
"Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don't matter. We're achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts. Neither the players nor I dwell on what we've just done; we're thinking about what's next," Aguirre said.
For Chavez, 22 and appearing in his first World Cup, the moment carried a deeper personal weight.
"It was something very beautiful, and I'll take it with me to the grave. I imagined it many times; I dreamed of this," he said.
Gilberto Mora, at 17, became the youngest Mexican player ever to start a World Cup match, while at the other end of the spectrum, 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa entered the pitch in the 77th minute in what is widely expected to be his farewell appearance for the national team.
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The substitution drew a roar from the crowd and placed Ochoa alongside Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have appeared in six World Cups.
He turns 41 on 13 July and has indicated he will retire from international football after the tournament.
"Life — football — had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off perfectly. For my part, I've left it all out there; I gave everything. I leave with nothing left because I poured it all into my teams and the national squad," he said.
After the final whistle, Ochoa kissed the goalpost before kneeling on the pitch, where he was embraced by his teammates.
"He is a legend. He is Mexican," Aguirre said.
Aguirre also disclosed the collective contribution of his squad, saying that 25 of his 26 players had featured in the tournament.
"Twenty-five of the 26 have played. That is no small detail nor is it a small detail that everyone celebrates the goals," he said.
Mexico's victory was, however, overshadowed by the return of a homophobic chant from sections of the crowd late in the first half, directed at Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar during a goal kick.
The chant has previously resulted in fines and sanctions against Mexico's football federation.
The Czech Republic were eliminated, finishing with a single point from three group matches.
Mexico, unbeaten in 11 games, will return to the Estadio Azteca on Tuesday for a round-of-32 fixture against an opponent yet to be determined.
They are undefeated in nine World Cup matches at the stadium.
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