At least two people died due to a crush during large-scale celebrations in Mexico City on Wednesday after Mexico secured a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, according to Agence France-Presse.
The report mentioned that the city's health secretary said a 19-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man died from asphyxiation. The third person to die was a 48-year-old woman who was treated on a nearby street after also suffering asphyxiation and died after being taken to hospital, Reuters reported.
The celebrations followed Mexico's impressive 2-0 victory over Ecuador at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Tuesday (Wednesday in India), a result that ended the nation's 40-year wait for a World Cup knockout-stage win. Mexico's previous victory in the knockout rounds came during the 1986 World Cup, which the country hosted incidentally.
Also Read | Mexico vs Ecuador Highlights: Julin Quiones, Ral Jiménez Score As World Cup Co-Hosts Qualify For Round Of 16
The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes across Mexico, with thousands of fans taking to the streets to celebrate the historic achievement.
The victory also extended Mexico's unbeaten run at the Azteca Stadium to 10 World Cup matches. El Tri will now face either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Round of 16 as they continue their quest for a deep run in the tournament.
How Mexico Beat Ecuador
Mexico ended a 40-year wait for a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage victory with a convincing 2-0 win over Ecuador to book their place in the Round of 16. Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored within nine first-half minutes to seal El Tri's first knockout win since defeating Bulgaria at the 1986 World Cup.
Quiñones netted his third goal of the tournament to move into joint second on Mexico's all-time World Cup scoring list, while Jiménez's 47th international goal made him the nation's second-highest scorer, behind only Javier "Chicharito" Hernández.
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The victory extended Mexico's unbeaten run to 12 matches and their World Cup unbeaten streak at the Azteca Stadium to 10 games, where they will face either England or DR Congo in the Round of 16. El Tri also recorded a fourth consecutive World Cup clean sheet for the first time in their history.
For Ecuador, the defeat ended hopes of reaching the knockout stage for only the second time, while kick-off was delayed by an hour due to a thunderstorm, marking the tournament's second weather-related disruption.
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