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End of an era
Legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, 40, was in tears on the pitch at Azteca Stadium after Mexico crashed out of the 2026 World Cup round of 16 against England (2-3), Mexico’s first defeat at this stadium in the history of the World Cup and only the third in 90 official matches, which cut short the two stages of his career.
Ochoa, nicknamed ‘Memo’, announced his retirement for good ahead of the tournament after a busy career that saw him make 153 international appearances for Mexico, including 12 World Cup finals appearances in 6 different games since 2006.
A touching farewell to dreamland
Ochoa had a farewell moment in his country’s group stage win against the Czech Republic at the Azteca Stadium, where he said after the game: “My first match at the Azteca stadium.”
His team-mates lifted him into the air to mark his departure from the pitch, bidding fans farewell with his family in an emotional scene that reflected the veteran goalkeeper’s place in Mexican hearts.
Powerless to prevent historic decline
However, Ochoa remained in coach Javier Aguirre’s squad to support the national team’s efforts as co-hosts of the tournament along with Canada and the United States, but he was powerless to do anything as he watched from the bench as Mexico crashed out of the World Cup after a thrilling game against England that saw one player sent off and two penalties.
A second-half brace from Jude Bellingham and a Harry Kane penalty were enough to send the Three Lions into the quarter-finals to face Norway, who secured their place after their thrilling 2-1 win over Brazil thanks to two goals from Erling Holland.
End of an era
The defeat was a double shock for Mexican fans, who witnessed the fall of an impregnable fortress for the first time in World Cup history, while saying goodbye to one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, who lost his starting job at the tournament after holding the position since 2014.
