Mexico Breaks World Cup Knockout Drought with Win Over Ecuador to Reach Round of 16
Mexico City erupted in joy after the Mexican national team secured a 2-0 victory against Ecuador on Tuesday night, marking their fourth consecutive World Cup match without conceding a goal. This win ended a long knockout stage drought for Mexico, who had not won a World Cup elimination match since 1986.
The match took place at the iconic Azteca Stadium, filled with 80,824 passionate fans. From 1994 through 2018, Mexico failed to progress past the knockout rounds, and their 2022 campaign ended prematurely in the group stage, their worst result since 1978.
“Bringing joy to the fans is the best thing that can happen to us,” said Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre after the win. “Our duty is to give it our all on the field. Our duty is to defend our crest and represent our country with dignity.”
The new 48-team World Cup format, which includes a round of 32 knockout phase, combined with playing on home soil, helped Mexico finally overcome this hurdle.
Ecuador, who qualified second in South America, challenged Mexico with frequent crosses but lacked defensive cohesion. Despite this, Mexico dominated scoring chances throughout the match.
The crowd celebrated enthusiastically as the team took a victory lap, singing “El Rey” and other anthems. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute on a quick counterattack, followed by a goal from Raúl Jiménez in the 31st minute. Ecuador had advanced by finishing third in their group, notably defeating Germany, but their defense faltered against Mexico’s relentless attack.
Mexico’s next opponent will be the winner of the England vs Democratic Republic of Congo match played Wednesday in Atlanta. Their round of 16 game is set for Sunday in Mexico City. A win would put Mexico one step closer to matching their best World Cup results—quarterfinal appearances in 1970 and 1986 when they hosted the tournament.
So far, El Tri boasts a perfect 4-0 record in this World Cup, not having allowed a single goal yet—a first in their history.
Tuesday’s game started an hour late due to lightning. Ecuador’s team voiced complaints before the match about ticket distribution issues and noisy Mexican fans outside their hotel, a common tactic in Latin America intended to disrupt opponents' rest before crucial matches. Ecuador’s coach, Sebastián Beccacece, also criticized the travel logistics, calling them overly taxing.
Tensions flared during the contest, including a sideline confrontation following a hard foul. Late in the second half, frustration showed when Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié covered his mouth while speaking to Mexico’s forward Santi Giménez. The referee paused the match to review video and issued a red card to Hincapié for violating FIFA’s rule against covering mouths during heated exchanges. This makes him the second player to be sent off for this infraction in the tournament, meaning he will miss Ecuador’s next international game.
FIFA introduced this rule to prevent players from hiding offensive language. Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón was the first to receive a red card under this regulation earlier in the tournament.
Other players have been seen covering their mouths during conversations, but only confrontations or heated moments trigger such severe punishment.
