Match Report: Mexico 2-0 Ecuador

Mexico reached the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in 40 years after beating Ecuador 2-0 in front of a passionate home crowd at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Kick-off was delayed by an hour because of lightning around the stadium, but the atmosphere remained electric. Backed by their supporters, Mexico made a fast start and took control of the match, scoring twice within nine first-half minutes through excellent finishes from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.

As Group A winners and tournament co-hosts, Mexico were drawn against Ecuador, a side that had impressed during South American qualifying and had fought hard for a dramatic win against Germany in their final group game to earn a place in the last 32. This was a difficult match to predict, but one factor stood out above everything else: home advantage.

Mexico are famously difficult to beat at the Azteca Stadium. They have never lost a major tournament match there, winning 68 of their 70 games at the famous venue. Their only competitive defeats at the venue came in World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica in 2001 and Honduras in 2013.

The Azteca’s high altitude and intimidating atmosphere make it one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams. Those conditions have once again worked in Mexico’s favour during this World Cup.

Although many consider this one of the weakest Mexican squads in recent history, they had already won all three of their group matches without letting in a single goal, beating South Africa, South Korea and Czechia.

For Ecuador, silencing the passionate home crowd was always going to be one of the biggest challenges. The atmosphere inside the stadium lifted Mexico from the opening whistle and made life extremely difficult for the visitors.

Mexico found space more easily than expected against Ecuador’s usually organised defence, forcing the South Americans to spend much of the early stages under pressure after the weather delay.

Raúl Jiménez missed an excellent header early in the match, but the noise inside the stadium showed just how much the supporters were driving their team forward.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Julián Quiñones produced a brilliant finish. Staying onside by remaining in his own half before the counter-attack, he raced forward and fired an unstoppable shot past the goalkeeper to spark huge celebrations.

Mexico doubled their lead before half-time when Jiménez finished another well-worked move with confidence in the 31st minute, putting the hosts firmly in control. The Wolves striker is now just five goals behind Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer.

With a two-goal lead, Mexico focused on defending after half-time. They still came close to scoring again from two corners, but Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez made an excellent save to keep out César Montes’ header. Ecuador had more of the ball in the second half but could not break through Mexico’s defence or create any clear chances.

Late in the match, Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié became the second player in the tournament, after Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón, to be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent.

The conditions in Mexico City would have tested any team. However, it was not just the altitude that made the difference. The atmosphere inside the Azteca inspired Mexico to press harder, run with greater intensity, win more challenges and play with confidence throughout the match.

Mexico’s run to the last 16 makes them just the fourth team in World Cup history to win their first four games in the competition without conceding a goal. Their last knockout stage win at the World Cup came against Bulgaria back in 1986, when they last hosted the tournament on home soil.

The co-hosts will continue their bid for a place in the quarter-finals when they face either England or DR Congo at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening.