México opened a two-goal first-half advantage against Ecuador in their round-of-32 fixture at the Estadio Azteca, with strikes from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez putting the hosts in control by the 31st minute.
Early on Wednesday morning, the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosted the round-of-32 encounter between World Cup co-hosts México and Ecuador, with both sides contesting a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
The deadlock was broken on 22 minutes when forward Julián Quiñones found the net, giving México a 1–0 lead. The goal carried historical significance for the national side: it marked the fifth consecutive World Cup match in which México had scored first – a new team record in the competition.
Any hopes of an immediate Ecuadorian response were extinguished nine minutes later. On 31 minutes, striker Raúl Jiménez doubled the advantage with a composed finish, making it 2–0 to the hosts. The scoreline remained unchanged as the first half drew to a close.
México entered the knockout phase as winners of Group A, while Ecuador progressed as third-placed finishers in Group E.
The 2026 World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and México, and runs from June 11 to July 19. The defending champions are Argentina, who defeated France on penalties (3–3 after extra time, 4–2 in the shoot-out) in the 2022 final in Qatar.
