Mexico ends – Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez struck within nine minutes in the first half as Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night. The win snapped a 40-year wait for a knockout-stage victory and sent El Tri into the World Cup round of 16, with Mexico set for another h
MEXICO CITY — The noise at Estadio Azteca kept coming even after the weather delayed kickoff. One hour after the original scheduled start, Mexico finally got going — and by halftime, the script had already changed.
Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. and Raúl Jiménez doubled Mexico’s lead in the 31st. Quiñones and Jiménez found the net in a nine-minute span in the first half as Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night to break a 40-year drought without a win in the knockout stage and progress to the World Cup round of 16.
It was a turning point that landed with extra weight in Mexico’s memory. Mexico had not won a knockout-stage match since defeating Bulgaria in the round of 16 in 1986 when the tournament was hosted in the country. After that run, Mexico lost seven consecutive knockout matches from 1994 to 2018.
Even Qatar 2022 carried its own kind of pain. Mexico were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since Argentina in 1978.
The goals against Ecuador weren’t just about the result; they were also written into the record books. Quiñones struck for his third goal of the tournament and moved into El Tri’s second-best scorer in World Cup history. behind Luis “Matador” Hernández and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. who scored four each.
Jiménez added his second goal of the tournament and now has 47 goals with the national team, breaking a tie with Jared Borgetti. He is five away from tying “Chicharito” Hernández as Mexico’s all-time leading scorer.
Mexico’s place in this World Cup didn’t depend on momentum alone. Playing at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the Mexican squad carried an undefeated record across 10 World Cup matches. Mexico has just two official losses at the venue, the last coming in World Cup qualifying against Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013.
The win also pushed Mexico’s rhythm beyond the tournament itself. The unbeaten run stretched to 12 games, dating back to a friendly loss against Paraguay in November.
There was also a wider historical edge to the night. Mexico became the first CONCACAF side to eliminate a CONMEBOL opponent in a World Cup knockout match. South American teams had won the previous five meetings.
Ecuador arrived with history on their side, too, trying to advance to the round of 16 for the second time in their history and the first since Germany 2006.
The match itself began late because of a thunderstorm, with kickoff delayed one hour from the original scheduled time. It was the second World Cup match affected by weather. A storm during France-Iraq at Philadelphia on June 22 had triggered a 2-hour. 11-minute suspension at the end of the first half.
With the result settled, Mexico’s attention now turns forward — and, crucially, home. Mexico will play another home match Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s match between England and Congo.
Mexico Ecuador 2-0 Julián Quiñones Raúl Jiménez World Cup round of 16 Azteca Stadium 40-year knockout drought CONCACAF CONMEBOL England Congo