Mexico
EcuadorRound of 32
Mexico City - Estadio Azteca
Referee : Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
Spectators : 80824
Raul Jimenez 31'
Mexico: 1. Rangel - 2. Sanchez J., 3. Montes, 5. Vasquez J-n - 6. Lira - 7. Romo (Vargas Ob., 73), 19. Mora G. (Gutiérrez, 58), 23. Gallardo - 25. Alvarado (Reyes, 80) - 9. Raul Jimenez (Gimenez S., 74), 16. Quiñones J. (Pineda O., 80)
Substitution: Gutiérrez (from 58); Vargas Ob. (from 73); Gimenez S. (from 74); Reyes (from 80); Pineda O. (from 80)
Bench: 12. Acevedo, 13. Ochoa - 4. Alvarez Ed., 20. Chavez M. - 24. Chávez L. - 8. Fidalgo - 10. Vega A. - 14. González Ar., 21. Huerta, 22. Martínez G.
Ecuador: 1. Galíndez - 3. Hincapie (till 90), 4. Ordonez J. (Preciado An., 46) - 6. Pacho, 9. Yeboah J. (Caicedo J., 79), 21. Franco A. (Medina Y., 46), 23. Caicedo M. - 15. Vite - 13. Valencia En. (Rodríguez K., 59), 19. Plata, 20. Angulo (Paez, 79)
Substitution: Preciado An. (from 46); Medina Y. (from 46); Rodríguez K. (from 59); Paez (from 79); Caicedo J. (from 79)
Bench: 12. Ramírez M., 22. Valle - 2. Torres Fe., 7. Estupiñán, 25. Porozo - 5. Alcívar, 18. Castillo D. - 8. Valencia A., 14. Minda - 24. Arevalo
Yellow Cards: Franco A. 45; Caicedo M. 90; Paez 90
Red cards: Hincapie 90'
Although the hosts eventually secured a comfortable-looking victory on paper, the contest itself was anything but straightforward
Ecuador produced a stunning comeback to defeat Germany
The Czechs failed to record a single victory and exit the World Cup with a goal difference of 2-6
Mexico became the first nation to officially secure a place in the knockout rounds
Ivory Coast have now won their opening match at a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014
Mexico’s commanding 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca was already a historic occasion, but Club Tijuana wonderkid Gilberto Mora provided another piece of history.
South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams offered a pragmatic assessment of his side’s 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the World Cup opener
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre refused to let a victorious start to their home World Cup campaign mask his team's shortcomings, offering a critical assessment of El Tri despite their 2-0 win over South Africa in the tournament opener.
The opening match of the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup offered a striking sense of déjà vu for football fans, perfectly mirroring the curtain-raiser from 16 years ago
Thirteen nations—many of which had braved a perilous transatlantic voyage—became the pioneers of a tournament that would change sport forever.
Roberto Martínez’s side controlled possession for large stretches of the match, yet their dominance failed to translate into meaningful chances
Mora became the youngest player ever to start a senior international final in a major tournament
Javier Aguirre's Tactical Return Pays Off
The reigning champions are now just one match away from lifting their 13th Gold Cup
