Mexico ended a 40-year wait for a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage victory with a commanding 2-0 win over Ecuador on Tuesday, securing a place in the Round of 16.
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez struck within nine first-half minutes to seal the victory. Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Jiménez doubled the advantage in the 31st as El Tri comfortably booked their spot in the last 16.
The victory marked Mexico's first win in the knockout rounds since defeating Bulgaria in the Round of 16 at the 1986 World Cup, which they hosted. Since then, El Tri had suffered seven straight eliminations at that stage between 1994 and 2018 before failing to progress beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022 for the first time since the 1978 tournament.
Mexico secure their spot in the Round of 16 on home soil! ????#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 1, 2026
Quiñones continued his impressive tournament by scoring his third goal, moving into joint second place on Mexico's all-time FIFA World Cup scoring list alongside Luis "Matador" Hernández and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, with four goals each.
Jiménez netted his second goal of the tournament and, with his 47th international goal, overtook Jared Borgetti to become Mexico's second-highest scorer of all time. He now trails Chicharito Hernández's national record by five goals.
Mexico will now play the winner of the match between England and DR Congo in their Round of 16 tie. To their benefit, that game will also be played at the Mexico City Stadium where the team has enjoyed a spectacular record in World Cup matches.
ALSO READ: Didier Drogba Slams VAR After Ivory Coast's FIFA World Cup 2026 Exit, Labels Nicolas Pépé Penalty Decision 'Disgraceful'
Playing at Mexico City Stadium which is also known as the Azteca Stadium, Mexico has remained unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches.
The result also stretched Mexico's unbeaten run to 12 matches, with their last defeat coming in a friendly against Paraguay in November. In addition for the first time in their World Cup history, Mexico have maintained four clean sheets in a row.
For Ecuador, the defeat ended hopes of reaching the World Cup Round of 16 for only the second time in their history and the first since Germany 2006.
Kick-off was delayed by an hour because of a thunderstorm, making it the second weather-disrupted match of the tournament after the France-Iraq group-stage fixture in Philadelphia, which was suspended for two hours and 11 minutes due to severe weather.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.