Mexico City, Jul 01 (V7N) — Co-hosts Mexico national football team booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 2-0 victory over Ecuador national football team in the Round of 32.
The match, originally scheduled to kick off at 7:00 a.m. Bangladesh time on Wednesday, was delayed by one hour because of heavy rain and lightning in the Mexico City area.
Mexico started brightly, with Gilberto Mora, Luis Romo and Raúl Jiménez creating several early chances. Ecuador threatened in the 18th minute when John Yeboah fired narrowly wide.
The breakthrough came four minutes later when Julián Quiñones raced onto a long pass from Roberto Alvarado before calmly finishing to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Mexico doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute as Jiménez converted a cross from Quiñones, sending El Tri into the halftime break with a comfortable two-goal cushion.
After the restart, Mexico remained in control, with defenders César Montes and Johan Vásquez keeping Ecuador's attack in check. Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel recorded his fourth consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.
Ecuador's hopes faded further in stoppage time when defender Piero Hincapié was shown a straight red card in the fifth minute of added time following an altercation with an opposing player, leaving his side with 10 men.
Mexico comfortably saw out the remainder of the match to secure a 2-0 victory and maintain their perfect winning record in the tournament.
The hosts will face either England national football team or DR Congo national football team in the Round of 16. (Note: The original fixture date provided appears inconsistent; the Round of 16 match would take place after July 1.)
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