Mexico demolish Ecuador 2-0 to reach World Cup last 16 as England await

Mexico booked their place in the World Cup round of 16 with a commanding 2-0 victory over Ecuador at the Mexico City Stadium on Tuesday night, with Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez both scoring to send a capacity crowd of around 80,000 into raptures.

The co-hosts were relentless from the first whistle, venturing into the Ecuador box three times in the opening minutes before teenage forward Gilberto Mora — the second youngest player ever to start a World Cup knockout match, behind only Pelé — twice came close with efforts that flashed narrowly wide.

Mexico’s pressure told inside 22 minutes. Quiñones picked up the ball on the counter, surged into the area and lashed an unstoppable drive past goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez to open the scoring and ignite the Azteca.

Ecuador, who had shocked Germany with their intensity earlier in the tournament, struggled to impose themselves against a Mexican side full of verve and invention. A hydration break offered the visitors a brief respite, but it did little to stem the tide. Jiménez, who had earlier nodded wide from a Luis Romo cross, made amends by exchanging passes with Quiñones before finishing with equal conviction to double the lead.

The result was particularly striking given Ecuador’s pre-match confidence. In a statement ahead of kick-off, Ecuador had described their relationship with Mexico as “brotherly” — but there was nothing brotherly about the manner in which the hosts dismantled them.

Mexico’s performance will serve as a warning to the rest of the tournament field, with England among the sides who could face them in the next round. The co-hosts showed the kind of cohesion, pace and attacking threat that will trouble any opponent, backed by an atmosphere that reportedly reached 118 decibels — roughly the noise level of a jet engine.