'Hong Myung-bo's team was manageable.' Mexico defeats South American powerhouse Ecuador 2-0 and advances to the Round of 16... Quiñones and Jiménez 'explosive scoring'

*This content was translated by AI.

Host nation Mexico defeated Ecuador and advanced to the World Cup Round of 16.

On the 1st (Korean time), Mexico secured a decisive 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Round of 32 match held at Estadio Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico. Earlier, in Group A of the group stage, Mexico recorded three consecutive wins (finishing first in the group), including a 1-0 win over the South Korean national team, and continued their strong momentum into the tournament.

Although the kickoff was delayed by one hour due to bad weather, the home team Mexico's performance was unaffected. They took the lead with an early goal by Julian Quiñones in the 22nd minute of the first half, and nine minutes later, in the 31st minute of the first half, Raul Jimenez scored an additional goal, securing an early advantage.

Ecuador, which advanced to the tournament as the third-place team in Group E, collapsed without scoring. Just before the end of the match, in the 50th minute of the second half, Piero Incaupi covered his mouth and spoke to an opponent, resulting in a red card after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, compounding their misfortunes as they concluded the tournament.

Mexico will face the winner of the England vs. Democratic Republic of Congo Round of 32 match on the 6th at 9 a.m. in the Round of 16.

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*This content was translated by AI.