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Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Tuesday, breaking a World Cup knockout stage curse that dated back 40 years.
Stormy weather delayed the round-of-32 match for an hour, but the tournament co-hosts flew out of the blocks immediately after kickoff, unleashing continuous waves of attacks.
The victory preserves Mexico’s historic 10-game unbeaten World Cup streak at the Azteca and advances them to a round-of-16 clash against either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Julian Quiñones ignited the supercharged home crowd in the 22nd minute, collecting a pass from Roberto Alvarado on the left wing before driving into the box and blasting an unstoppable shot past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez.
Mexico continued to dominate the first half, and Quiñones turned provider just eight minutes later.
He fed Wolves striker Raúl Jiménez, who fired a rocket into the top corner of the net to double the hosts’ advantage before the halftime whistle.
Mexico entered the match with immense momentum, having won all three of their group stage matches without conceding a single goal.
They also made history by naming 17-year-old Gilberto Mora in the starting lineup, making him the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match behind Pelé in 1958.
Though Jiménez missed an early header and Mora flashed a shot wide, the home side never allowed a shell-shocked Ecuador lineup to settle into the game.
Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece made multiple tactical substitutions after the break to wrest back momentum, but his players struggled to threaten the Mexican defence.
Ecuador substitute Kevin Rodríguez poked a late chance just wide, and defender Piero Hincapié received a red card in stoppage time following a confrontation with a Mexican player.
Mexico will play their round-of-16 match at the Azteca on Sunday before the remaining World Cup matches shift entirely to the United States.
