It’s often difficult to believe in destiny. But football has a way of making even the impossible feel inevitable.
And on a stormy night at the Azteca, Mexico finally found the ending it had been chasing for four decades.
In Mexico, the phrase ya merito — “almost there” — has long been tied to the men’s national team. It’s an expression of hope wrapped in heartbreak, of coming painfully close without ever crossing the finish line.
For generations, El Tri had watched their World Cup dreams end at the first knockout hurdle.
Not this time.
El Tri marched into the Round of 16 with a dominant display, demolishing Ecuador 2-0 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, and will face either England or DR Congo next.
A thunderstorm delayed kickoff, but couldn’t
delay fate. If anything, it only added to the theatre. When the skies cleared, Mexico emerged with the certainty of a team determined to rewrite history.
Ecuador, one of the tournament’s toughest defensive outfits, simply could not live with Javier Aguirre’s men.
The warning signs arrived almost immediately. Seventeen-year-old sensation Gilberto Mora dazzled with his fearless dribbling, while Raúl Jiménez twice came close as Mexico pinned Ecuador deep inside their own half. La Tri briefly threatened when John Yeboah clipped the outside of the post after a swift counterattack, but it proved to be little more than a fleeting reminder that they were still in the contest.
Mexico struck in the 22nd minute with devastating precision. A lightning-fast counterattack sliced Ecuador apart before Julián Quiñones coolly buried the finish into the top corner, sending the Azteca into raptures.
The hosts never eased off. Just nine minutes later, Jiménez pounced on a loose pass high up the pitch, exchanged a slick one-two with Quiñones and curled an emphatic finish beyond Hernán Galíndez to double Mexico’s advantage. Ecuador looked shell-shocked, while El Tri played with a swagger rarely seen from them on the World Cup stage.
Mexico could have added more before the interval, with Jiménez continuing to torment the Ecuadorian backline, while goalkeeper Raúl Rangel preserved the clean sheet with an outstanding save to deny Yeboah.
The second half became a lesson in control. Ecuador enjoyed more possession after the restart but struggled to carve open Mexico’s disciplined defence. Galíndez kept his side alive with a superb point-blank stop from César Montes, while substitute Roberto Alvarado remained a constant threat on the counter.
Frustration eventually boiled over for Ecuador deep into stoppage time when Piero Hincapié was shown a red card, capping a miserable evening for Sebastián Beccacece’s side.
The final whistle sparked scenes of pure release. Mexico had done it. Four matches, four victories, four clean sheets—and, at long last, a first World Cup knockout win since 1986.
Finally, the phrase ya merito can be retired.
