Ecuador knocked out of World Cup, overpowered by Mexico who advances for the first time in 40 years

Ecuador was unable to match the intensity and disciple of Mexico Tuesday night in a World Cup match delayed an hour by rain in Mexico City and was eliminated 2-0 from competition. With goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico advances to the round of 16 and awaits the winner of the England or the Democratic Republic of Congo match.

Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones celebrate a goal on Tuesday night in Mexico City.

Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece conceded his team was thoroughly outplayed in the first half of the match, unable to respond to Mexico’s “elevated level” of execution. “This is a sad, painful night for all the Ecuadorian people because the truth is that this group of players had awakened in me the expectation for going deep into the tournament,” Beccacece said at a post-game press conference.

He added he was resigning his position as coach but said Ecuador has “great talent” for the future. “I will miss these fine young men and will not forget what we achieved together. We experienced an extraordinary brotherhood.”

The rain and lightning delay did nothing to dampen the atmosphere inside Aztec Stadium. Fueled by the roars of the home crowd over more than 80,000, Mexico came out dominating an Ecuadorian side that lacked the precision it had shown Thursday in its win over Germany. Although Ecuador controlled the bar for much of the second half, it was unable to break through Mexican defenses.

The 2-0 score matched Mexico’s last victory in the World Cup knockout round, in 1986, when it defeated Bulgaria.

With its elimination, Ecuador must not only find a new coach but rebuild for the future with the prospect of losing two of its most dominate players of the last decade, 36-years-old Enner Valencia and 37-year-old goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez. Valencia has been the team’s top scorer for 15 years while Galíndez was considered the team’s “coach on the field.”

As Beccacece pointed out in his comments, however, Ecuador’s team is “built for the future.” The second youngest team in the 2026 World Cup, the team returns Piero Hincapié, Willian Pacho, Moisés Caicedo, Kendry Páez, Joel Ordóñez, Nilson Angulo, and Yaimar Medina, “These young men show impressive promise and that is why Ecuador will be strong for years to come.”