Mexico convincingly defeated Serbia 5:1 in Toluca and ended its World Cup preparations with a victory
Mexico convincingly defeated Serbia 5:1 in its final test before the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Nemesio Díez in Toluca, in a match that, according to the official report of the Football Association of Serbia, the host decided through better preparation, greater experience and punishment for mistakes in Serbia's back line. Although Serbia took the lead in the first half with a goal by Petar Stanić, the Mexican national team turned the result around before the break and then further increased its advantage after halftime. Johan Vásquez, Raúl Jiménez and Luis Chávez scored for Mexico, while Stefan Bukinac and Adem Avdić put the ball into their own net. The 5:1 result is also Serbia's heaviest defeat in this June series and the second convincing loss for that national team in the friendly cycle, after, according to ESPN's match record, it lost 0:3 to Cape Verde on May 31.
The match was played on the evening of June 4 local time in Mexico, or rather finished in the early hours of June 5, 2026 Central European Time. The Mexican Football Federation had earlier announced that the duel against Serbia would be the last preparatory match for Javier Aguirre's national team before the start of the World Cup, at which Mexico is one of the three hosts, alongside the United States of America and Canada. According to FIFA's data for Group A, Mexico will play in the tournament against South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Czechia, and the first round of the group opens on June 11 with the match between Mexico and South Africa. Because of that, the encounter in Toluca had greater significance than an ordinary friendly match: it was the last public test of the squad, rhythm and confidence before entering a competition played on home soil.
Serbia took the lead, but Mexico punished every mistake
According to the report of the Football Association of Serbia, the start of the match was marked by Mexico's pressure, as the team tried quickly to impose its rhythm and use the support from the stands in Toluca. Filip Stanković had to intervene after early attempts by Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, and the home team had more initiative in the opening phase. Serbia nevertheless freed itself from the pressure and took the lead in the 19th minute. Vladimir Lučić sent a through ball, Jesús Gallardo made an error in judgment, and Petar Stanić used the space and scored past the onrushing goalkeeper Raúl Rangel.
Serbia's lead did not change the direction of the match for long. Mexico continued to attack and search for an equalizer through wing entries, crosses and play between the lines. In the 34th minute, according to FSS data and the Sky Sports report, Johan Vásquez scored with a header after a cross from Brian Gutiérrez and brought the hosts back into the match. That goal was especially important because it came after the initial defensive mistake in which Vásquez himself had also been involved, and the home national team quickly gained new energy. The stands reacted loudly, and Mexico pressed Serbia's defense even more strongly in the closing stages of the half.
The key moment of the first half came in stoppage time. Stefan Bukinac tried to return the ball toward Filip Stanković, but the move ended with an own goal and a 2:1 Mexican lead. The FSS described that moment as a misunderstanding in the penalty area and a goal at the worst possible time for the visitors, because Serbia went into the break trailing after having earlier managed to take the lead. For Mexico, it was a psychological turnaround: without the need for major tactical risk in the second half, the host could play more patiently, use the width of the field and wait for new mistakes from the opponent.
The second half brought home dominance and two Serbian own goals
The second half brought a large number of substitutions, especially in the Serbian national team. According to the official FSS report, head coach Veljko Paunović had already made four changes from the 46th minute, and during the remainder almost all the players from the match sheet were given a chance. Such a rhythm of substitutions further changed the structure of the match, while Mexico maintained a higher level of connection in possession and reacted more quickly to loose balls. Serbia had an attempt through Bukinac, but the ball ended up next to the goal, and the home team soon used the next big moment.
In the 57th minute Raúl Jiménez scored for 3:1 after the ball rebounded to him in the penalty area. The Mexican Fulham striker, as El País describes him in its report from Toluca, looked for a finish throughout the match and got into several situations, and the goal after the break gave the home side a secure advantage. After the third goal, Aguirre was able to widen the rotation further, introduce players who needed minutes and test solutions for the group-stage matches. Quiñones stood out in Mexico's play in particular, with Mexican reports identifying his energy and penetration as one of the most important elements of the home performance.
The fourth goal was another blow for Serbia. After a corner from the right side, Adem Avdić tried to clear the ball, but it ended up in his own net for 4:1. It was the second own goal by the Serbian defense in the match, which further strengthened the impression that the visitors paid the highest price for misunderstandings and insufficiently clean reactions in the penalty area. In its report, the FSS emphasized that the host celebrated thanks to greater experience and better preparation, but also to mistakes by the back line, which scored two own goals. The final result was set by Luis Chávez in the 90th minute with a powerful shot for 5:1, with which Mexico ended the match in a way that offered the home crowd a convincing announcement ahead of the start of the World Cup.
Paunović highlighted the young team and the need for corrections
Veljko Paunović did not hide his dissatisfaction after the match, but in a statement published on the website of the Football Association of Serbia he first highlighted the commitment of the players who had traveled on a demanding tour. According to his words, Serbia had good energy in the first half, controlled certain parts of the match and scored a nice goal. Paunović stated that it was important to him that the players turned their effort into a goal, especially because the national team has not often scored away from home recently. Still, Mexico's equalizer and especially the own goal near the end of the first half, in his assessment, significantly made the job harder for his team.
The Serbia head coach emphasized that the goals conceded came from forced mistakes, but also that the team had to react better. In the official statement he said that the Serbs scored two goals against themselves and that these are lessons a young team must learn. The FSS additionally pointed out in its report that a large number of young players, especially those from the Serbian SuperLiga, experienced for the first time an atmosphere like the one in Toluca. Such a context explains part of the fluctuations, but it does not reduce the weight of the result, especially because it followed on from the defeat to Cape Verde a few days earlier.
Paunović, according to the FSS post, said that the result spoils many things and that the June window passed in circumstances with which he was personally very disappointed. He added that the national team has a lot of work ahead and that things will have to be corrected. Such a statement shows that the defeat in Toluca was more than a friendly result for Serbia: it opened the question of squad depth, defensive stability and the ability of young players to withstand high intensity against an opponent in the final phase of preparation for a major competition. In that sense, the match gave Paunović plenty of material for analysis, but little immediate encouragement.
Aguirre got the victory, but also warnings before the opening of the World Cup
For Mexico, the final 5:1 is a result that strongly lifts the mood before the start of the World Cup, but it does not remove all doubts. In its report from Toluca, El País stated that Javier Aguirre warned after the match that such a convincing result can be "a double-edged sword". According to that report, the Mexican head coach emphasized that it is always better to work after a victory, but also that excess confidence can be just as harmful as a lack of it. Such a message was understandable because Mexico, despite the final margin, conceded a goal in the first half after its own mistake and in some phases did not look completely stable.
In Toluca, Aguirre used a lineup that, according to Mexican reports, is close to the team expected for the opening of the tournament. Raúl Rangel was in goal, Jorge Sánchez, César Montes, Johan Vásquez and Jesús Gallardo played in defense, and Érik Lira, Álvaro Fidalgo and Brian Gutiérrez were given a chance in midfield. Roberto Alvarado, Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez started in attack. In the second half, Edson Álvarez, Luis Chávez, Alexis Vega, Gilberto Mora and other players came on, which allowed the head coach additional tests in the rhythm of a match that opened up after the third goal.
The victory is important for Mexico also because of the symbolism of the venue. Estadio Nemesio Díez, the official home of Toluca, is also known as La Bombonera or El Infierno, and according to data from the Toluca FC club, it is a stadium with a strong world football tradition, since it hosted matches at the 1970 and 1986 World Cups and at one youth World Cup. Such an atmosphere gave the match additional weight, especially for the home national team, which will open the World Cup in front of its own fans. In Toluca, Mexico got exactly what it was looking for in the final test: a victory, goals from several sources and an opportunity to carry a positive mood into the final days of preparation.
Wider context: Mexico enters Group A, Serbia searches for stability
According to FIFA's data, the 2026 World Cup is played from June 11 to July 19, and Group A brings together Mexico, South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Czechia. FIFA has confirmed for the 2026 edition a new format with 48 national teams, 104 matches and an additional knockout round, so the importance of every point in the group is further emphasized because after the first round a broader knockout-stage picture is formed. For Mexico, which hosts the opening match and is one of the bearers of local interest, the result against Serbia will not bring points, but it will influence the psychological image of the team. A four-goal victory gives the head coach an argument that the attacking part of the team is capable of creating and converting chances, but the goal conceded and the initial insecurity in defense remain details that the coaching staff must close down.
Serbia, on the other hand, ends the cycle with two painful defeats and a large number of open questions. In its report from Toluca, the FSS highlighted inexperience, a large number of young players and two of its own mistakes that ended in own goals. That does not change the fact that the final 5:1 is a heavy result for a national team that has significantly greater ambitions than the role of opponent in other teams' preparations. After the early lead, Serbia had the chance to make the match different, but it fell apart in the moments when it needed to calm the game, survive the pressure and close the half without conceding another goal. Precisely that phase of the match will remain one of the most important elements of Paunović's analysis.
In football terms, the match showed the difference between a team entering the final phase of a clear competitive plan and a team still searching for a new balance of forces in the squad. Mexico had a wider choice of solutions, greater security in the second half and the quality to turn the opponent's mistakes into goals. Serbia showed that it can score from a quick, vertical move, but it failed to maintain concentration either after taking the lead or after the equalizer. That is why the final 5:1 is more than a statistical fact: for Mexico it is a convincing dress rehearsal, and for Serbia a serious warning after a June cycle in which it conceded eight goals in two matches.
Scorers and basic information
Mexico - Serbia 5:1
Stadium: Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca, Mexico
Scorers: 0:1 Petar Stanić 19', 1:1 Johan Vásquez 34', 2:1 Stefan Bukinac 45+2' own goal, 3:1 Raúl Jiménez 57', 4:1 Adem Avdić 72' own goal, 5:1 Luis Chávez 90'
Competition: international friendly match, Mexico's final test ahead of the 2026 World Cup
Sources:
- Football Association of Serbia – official report from the Mexico - Serbia 5:1 match, scorers, lineups and description of the course of the encounter (link)
- Football Association of Serbia – statement by head coach Veljko Paunović after the match in Toluca (link)
- El País México – report from Toluca, course of the match, lineups and statement by Javier Aguirre (link)
- Sky Sports – match result overview, goal minutes and basic match information (link)
- Mexican Football Federation – announcement of the match in Toluca as Mexico's final test before the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – overview of Group A of the 2026 World Cup and competition schedule (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the 2026 World Cup format with 48 national teams and 104 matches (link)
- ESPN – match record for Cape Verde - Serbia 3:0 from May 31, 2026 (link)
- Deportivo Toluca FC – official data on Estadio Nemesio Díez (link)