By Janina Nuno Rios
MEXICO CITY, June 23 (Reuters) – Czech coach Miroslav Koubek said his side must ignore Mexico’s formidable World Cup record at the Azteca Stadium and keep believing in their dream of reaching the knockout stage when the teams meet in a decisive Group A clash on Wednesday.
Mexico have already secured a place in the knockout stage and guaranteed top spot in the group after victories over South Africa and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the match remains critical for the Czechs, who have taken one point from their opening two games and need a positive result to keep their tournament hopes alive.
Co-hosts Mexico have not conceded a goal and are expected to be backed by another packed crowd at the Azteca, where they have never lost a World Cup match, winning six and drawing two across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments.
Koubek acknowledged the scale of the challenge awaiting his side but insisted his team could not afford to dwell on Mexico’s history.
“We know their successes are really fascinating. It’s a great success and we really do respect that. We have great respect for Mexican football and also for Mexican fans,” Koubek told reporters on Tuesday.
“However, we need to focus on what we need to do. We have to get the necessary points, otherwise we will drop out of the World Cup.”
Despite their difficult position, Koubek said his players remained confident.
“Miracles do happen and nothing is impossible in football. That’s our approach,” he said. “We can’t think about these facts right now and we have to follow our dream as best as we can.”
CAPTAIN’S CONFIDENCE
Captain Ladislav Krejci said the squad would draw on their experience from the playoffs when they beat Ireland and Denmark to secure qualification for the tournament back in March.
“This is our last chance,” Krejci said.
“The experience from March is very important for us. Back then we proved that we were able to succeed against stronger teams, so we can succeed now against Mexico as well.”
Koubek admitted his team must improve after surrendering leads in both of their previous matches against South Korea and South Africa.
“We have to score, that’s clear,” he said.
“We need to be stronger in the game, stronger in the combinations and have bigger possession of the ball. We are not very happy about what happened so far and we want to improve.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
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