¡Arriba Mexico! Hosts dominate, dump out Ecuador and advance! 🎥 | OneFootball

The mythical Azteca, which staged Brazil’s third World Cup triumph in 1970 and saw Maradona lead Argentina in 1986, lived through another historic chapter.

Mexico ended a LONG drought without winning a knockout match by seeing off Ecuador 2-0 and booking its place in the FIFA World Cup round of 16.

In front of 80,824 fans. 

Mexican fans will keep giving it everything and then some against either England or DR Congo - who face off this Wednesday (1st).

Watch the highlights below. 

Easy, easy, don’t panic!

 The ball got rolling in Mexico City with a one-hour delay because of a storm alert that never materialized.

A delay that did nothing to dampen the excitement in the stands.

Mexico’s long spell of possession just two minutes into the game already brought out cries of “Olé.”

Javier Aguirre’s men made more than a positive start. 

The goal felt like only a matter of time, and it came through Quiñones, the top scorer in last season’s Saudi league who chose to represent El Tri. It was his third goal of the World Cup. 

After going through major drama in his career, “El Lobo” Jiménez never gave up. And he got his second goal of this World Cup.

Ecuador did manage to create real danger before halftime. But Rangel showed his quality. 

Mexico deserved it 💪🏽

The second half saw Beccacece’s Ecuador trying to take control of the match and (finally) find a way past impenetrable Mexico.

But the extra possession was not productive.

The biggest chance of the second half fell to Mexico, with Montes forcing a great save from Galíndez. 

Deep into stoppage time, Hincapié was sent off for covering his mouth while a spat with Giménez was going on. 

It was the second sending-off under the rule created after the Prestianni-Vini Jr. incident at this World Cup, following Almirón’s.

Could this finally be the time?

Mexico’s best World Cup runs came when it hosted the tournament: it reached the quarter-finals in 70 and 86.

After missing the 1990 edition, El Tri was eliminated in the round of 16 in seven straight World Cups - from 1994 to 2018. Every time, it bowed out after the fourth match.

And it did not even reach the knockout stage at the Qatar World Cup.

In other words: its last knockout win came in the round of 16 in 1986, when it beat Bulgaria 2-0 before losing to West Germany. With the current coach still a player back then.

It will face either England or DR Congo next Sunday (5), again at the Azteca, in pursuit of a place in the quarter-finals.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 YURI CORTEZ - AFP or licensors