MEXICO CITY — Mexico celebrated a significant victory on Tuesday night, overcoming a long-standing hurdle in World Cup history by defeating Ecuador 2-0 at the iconic Azteca Stadium, which was filled with 80,824 enthusiastic fans. This win marked Mexico's first knockout stage victory in a World Cup since 1986.

Breaking the Drought

From 1994 to 2018, Mexico struggled to secure a win in the knockout rounds, and their performance in 2022 saw them fail to progress beyond the group stage, marking their poorest showing since 1978. Coach Javier Aguirre expressed the team's commitment to their supporters, stating, “Bringing joy to the fans is the best thing that can happen to us. Our duty is to give it our all on the field. Our duty is to defend our crest and represent our country with dignity.”

A Formidable Performance

With the expanded 48-team format of the World Cup allowing for a knockout round of 32 teams, Mexico seized this opportunity to achieve a goal that had seemed elusive. Ecuador, which had secured second place in the South American qualifiers, fought hard but struggled to maintain defensive organization throughout the match. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring for Mexico in the 22nd minute, followed by Raúl Jiménez's goal in the 31st minute, as El Tri capitalized on multiple scoring chances.

Following the match, the Mexican team took a celebratory lap around the stadium, with fans singing “El Rey” and other songs in appreciation of their performance. Mexico is set to play its next match in Mexico City against the winner of the upcoming England versus Democratic Republic of Congo game, scheduled for Sunday. This victory puts El Tri one step closer to matching their best World Cup performance, which saw them reach the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986.

Remarkably, Mexico remains undefeated in their World Cup matches this tournament, boasting a record of 4-0 and not conceding a single goal. The match against Ecuador was delayed by an hour due to lightning, and Ecuador's coach, Sebastián Beccacece, raised concerns about logistical issues and fan disruptions that affected his team's preparations.