Co-hosts Mexico eventually ended their four decades FIFA World Cup The heartbeat was a clinical 2-0 victory over Ecuador in their Round of 32 competition on Tuesday, earning them their first win in the competition since 1986.Goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez in the first half were enough to book Javier Aguirre’s side a place in the Round of 16, where they will face the winners of the England-DR Congo match. The win also extended Mexico’s unbeaten run to eight in a row, the longest in World Cup history.The match, which was delayed by an hour due to heavy rain and lightning, was only the second at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be interrupted by severe weather.
A first-half blitz ends years of frustration
Mexico wasted little time asserting themselves early on and were rewarded in the 22nd minute when Quiñones capitalized on a defensive error to put the hosts ahead.The pace remained tight with El Tri, and just nine minutes later veteran striker Raúl Jiménez added to the lead with a superb finish, putting Mexico in control before half-time.The result was Mexico’s first victory since they beat Bulgaria in the round of 16 in the 1986 World Cup at home. Since then, El Tri experienced seven consecutive exits from the last 16 between 1994 and 2018 before suffering elimination from the Qatar 2022 group stage.
The record goes down as Mexico progresses
Ecuador had more possessions after the restart and looked for a way back into the competition, but Mexico’s solid defense held on to keep another clean sheet. Ecuador’s frustrations extended into stoppage time when defender Piero Hincapié was sent off.The victory was Mexico’s fourth in a row at the tournament and extended their run without conceding a single goal, proving to be one of the strongest teams left in the competition.Young midfielder Gilberto Mora also made history. At 17 years and 259 days, he became the second-oldest player to start a FIFA World Cup match, behind Brazilian legend Pelé, who was 17 years and 239 days old at the 1958 World Cup.But Jiménez added another important element to his remarkable career. At the age of 35 years and 56 days, he became the oldest Mexican player to score in a knockout match at the World Cup and the first Mexican in his 30s to find the back of the net in the tournament.With history on their side, Mexico will now look to make the most of home advantage as they chase a big run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
