Mexico won their first victory in the World Cup knockout stage in 40 years after defeating Ecuador 2-0 in front of their own public at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, WIB morning.
The one-hour delay before kickoff due to lightning around the stadium did not dampen the atmosphere inside the stadium. Fueled by the cheers of the home crowd, Mexico dominated their South American opponents.
They scored two goals in the first nine minutes of the first half, thanks to superb goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez.
The last time Mexico won the first match of the knockout phase was in the 1986 edition when they were hosts.
Interestingly, at that time they beat Bulgaria 2-0 in the last 16 - the same score and place as they beat Ecuador in the 2026 World Cup.
"It's been about 40 years since the last time I saw Azteca like this. We've had big wins, but nothing like this because we're playing at home with our fans who always give their best, they give their wholehearted support," said Mexico coach Javier Aguirre.
The first World Cup expanded to 48 teams means Mexico has yet to realize a long and frustrating dream of returning to the quarterfinals, but after seven consecutive defeats in the first knockout round, a victory against Ecuador will taste very sweet.
"This victory means a lot to me. I'm one of the players who couldn't reach the fifth match (quarterfinals). It was very painful."
"You get through the group stage and play well, but then there is a fatal mistake that knocks you out."
"Today, the connection with the fans gave us a boost. It's a spectacular stadium. It's a great night for the Mexican people," said Aguirre.
Mexico will now attempt to complete their journey to the quarter-finals when they face England or the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Mexico have now lost just twice in 89 competitive matches at the Azteca, winning 70 of them. They are unbeaten in 10 World Cup games played in Mexico City.
Their journey to the last 16 this time was very dominant. The victory without conceding against Ecuador made Aguirre's team the fourth team in World Cup history to win the first four matches without conceding a goal.
Meanwhile, Quinones' contribution was the third goal in the 2026 World Cup. He is now the second-highest scorer for El Tri in World Cup history after Luis "Matador" Hernandez and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who scored four goals each.
Jimenez scored his second goal of the tournament and has scored 47 goals with Mexico to break Jared Borgetti's record.
He is only five goals away from equaling Javier Hernandez as Mexico's all-time leading scorer.
"The first half was very close to the perfect performance we were aiming for. In the second half, we knew how to defend and adapt to the pressure they gave after making significant changes," said Aguirre.
Mexico became the first Concacaf team to eliminate a Conmebol team in a World Cup knockout match. Teams from South America won the previous five meetings.
For Ecuador, it was a disappointing end after a surprise win over Germany in the final group match.
They were knocked out tamely and down to 10 men after defender Piero Hincapie's red card in the second half injury time as a result of new rules penalising players for covering their mouths when talking to opponents.
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