Co-hosts Mexico secured a place in the World Cup last 16 with a convincing 2-0 victory over 10-man Ecuador in a weather-delayed round-of-32 clash at the Azteca Stadium.
The match, which started an6 hour later than scheduled because of a thunderstorm in Mexico City, saw Javier Aguirre’s side dominate from the opening whistle before first-half goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez sealed progression.
Mexico will now face either England or DR Congo in the next round, with the match scheduled for Sunday.
Fast start rewards Mexico
Backed by a passionate home crowd, Mexico began on the front foot and created several chances in the opening minutes. Ecuador briefly threatened through John Yeboah, whose effort struck the woodwork, but the hosts remained in control.
The breakthrough arrived when Colombian-born winger Quinones surged into the penalty area from the left before firing a powerful finish beyond goalkeeper Hernan Galindez. The goal was his third of the tournament.
Quinones then turned provider moments later after capitalising on a defensive mistake by Joel Ordonez.
His pass found Jimenez, who produced a composed finish into the top corner to double Mexico’s advantage before the interval.
Ecuador finish with 10 men
Ecuador showed more urgency after the restart but struggled to break down a disciplined Mexican defence. Gonzalo Plata came closest to scoring for the visitors, sending an effort narrowly wide.
Their disappointing outing worsened in stoppage time when defender Piero Hincapie was shown a red card after covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, becoming only the second player sent off at the tournament for that offence.
Mexico comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to register their first World Cup knockout victory since 1986.
The result keeps alive the hosts’ hopes of making a deep run on home soil, with Aguirre’s side producing another confident display in front of their supporters.
Ecuador, meanwhile, exit the tournament after failing to recover from Mexico’s blistering first-half performance and will now turn their attention to rebuilding ahead of future international competitions.