Mexico achieved a momentous victory in their World Cup knockout stage, defeating Ecuador 2-0 at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Tuesday, marking their first advancement past this stage in 40 years.
Despite a one-hour delay at kickoff due to lightning, the electric atmosphere remained unhindered. Energized by the home crowd, Mexico quickly took control of the match, scoring two goals in the first nine minutes through remarkable efforts from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.
This victory mirrored the same scoreline and venue as Mexico’s last knockout stage win, which came against Bulgaria in 1986, the last time they hosted the tournament.
“It had been about 40 years since the last time I saw the Azteca like this,” said Mexico coach Javier Aguirre.
“We’ve had great victories, but none like this one. It was at home with our fans, who poured their hearts into it.”
While this year’s expanded 48-team World Cup means Mexico is still chasing their elusive quarterfinals return, this sweet victory breaks a frustrating streak of seven consecutive first knockout stage exits.
“This win means a lot to me, as I was one of those players who never reached the fifth game [quarterfinals]. It really hurts,” Aguirre reflected. “Now we’ve passed the group stage and performed well, without critical errors taking us out. The connection with the fans gave us a boost. This stadium is spectacular. It’s a great night for Mexicans.”
Looking ahead, Mexico aims to continue their quarterfinal quest against either England or Congo DR this Sunday at Azteca.
With a remarkable home record, Mexico has only lost twice in 89 competitive matches at Azteca, winning 70, and they remain unbeaten in their last 10 World Cup games held in Mexico City.
The journey to the last 16 has been strong; Tuesday’s victory made Aguirre’s team the fourth in World Cup history to win its first four matches without conceding a goal.
Quiñones scored his third goal of the tournament, positioning himself as El Tri’s second-best scorer in World Cup history, behind Luis “Matador” Hernández and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, both of whom netted four.
Jiménez tallied his second goal of the tournament and now has 47 international goals, surpassing Jared Borgetti. He is just five goals shy of tying Javier Hernández for Mexico’s all-time scoring record.
“The first half was very close to the perfect performance we aim for. In the second half, we managed to defend well and adapt to their pressure after they made significant changes,” Aguirre stated.
Mexico also made history by becoming the first Concacaf team to eliminate a CONMEBOL side in a World Cup knockout match, breaking the streak of five prior meetings won by South American teams.
This outcome was disappointing for Ecuador, marking the end of a tournament filled with promise after their surprising victory against Germany in their final group game.
The match concluded for Ecuador on a sour note, finishing with 10 men following a red card to defender Piero Hincapié in stoppage time due to a new rule penalizing players for covering their mouths while speaking to opponents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.