MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico teenager Gilberto Mora scanned for options and threaded a pass to Jorge Sanchez, who collided with the Czech goalkeeper before Julián Quiñones poked home the loose ball for a 2-0 lead.It was the type of spark Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was looking for from an offense that had looked sluggish, even as the team won its first two matches of the World Cup and had already cliched a spot in the round of 32.The 17-year-old Mora brought clarity to the Mexican front line during the final group-stage match — a 3-0 victory — by linking up with the forwards with a fluidity that Brian Gutiérrez had lacked in the previous two games.“Morita” became the youngest Mexican player to start a World Cup match. He surpassed the record held since the inaugural 1930 tournament by Manuel “Chaquetas” Rosas, who was 18 years, 88 days old.
“For me, it’s a dream come true — it’s what I’ve always worked for,” Mora said after Wednesday’s match. “It hasn’t fully sunk in what I’m achieving, but I’m happy and pleased.“We wanted all three wins, and now we have to focus on what’s next. We have to keep working and give a little more, because tough opponents are coming up and we want to keep advancing.”
