Mexico keeps dreaming. The host nation beat Ecuador 2-0 to secure a place in the round of 16. After finishing the group stage with three wins from three matches without conceding a goal, Javier Aguirre’s team also overcame Ecuador thanks to goals from Quinones (22′) and Jimenez (31′), fueling the excitement of a packed and roaring Azteca.
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The match, which started more than an hour late due to a thunderstorm that hit Mexico City, was only balanced in the opening minutes. The hosts’ only real scare came from a Yeboah effort that Rangel tipped onto the post. After surviving that danger, Mexico took full control of the game.
The opener came from exploiting Ecuador’s very high defensive line. Quinones burst forward from his own half, beat the offside trap and scored his third goal of the tournament. Riding the wave of the crowd’s enthusiasm, Mexico kept pushing and also found a second: after a poor clearance by Ordonez, Raul Jimenez combined with Quinones and fired into the top corner for the final 2-0.
Ecuador tried to respond under the lead of Moises Caicedo, but only Yeboah managed once again to cause Rangel some trouble. Mexico, meanwhile, managed their two-goal lead with order and defensive solidity, once again keeping a clean sheet and seeing the match out without any real worries.
In the round of 16, the hosts could face England, provided the English get past Congo. Buoyed by the enthusiasm of their fans, in excellent form and with a defense still unbeaten in the tournament, Mexico head into the knockout stage full of confidence.
Immediately after the final whistle, the streets of Mexico City were literally flooded by a sea of fans celebrating the home team for making it through to the next round.
🤩 Mexico, the clean-sheet kings
Since the start of their World Cup campaign, Mexico have given away virtually nothing. They have not conceded a goal in their first 4 matches at the Azteca and, on top of that, have scored 8. Record-breaking numbers: it had not happened since Italy in 1990 that a national team began a World Cup with four consecutive clean sheets.
🟥 Hincapié sent off under the Prestianni rule
In the closing minutes of the match came the second red card of this World Cup for speaking with a hand covering the mouth. With the introduction of the new rule, also known as the “Prestianni rule,” if a player speaks to another while covering his mouth with his hand, he is punished with a straight red card.
Hincapié’s case, as he covered his mouth during an argument with Gimenez, is not the first at this World Cup. It had already happened to Paraguay’s Almiron in a clash with Muldur during the match against Turkey.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
