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They were held up by an electric storm but, after it had cleared, Mexico simply kept the lightning bolts coming. El Tri have broken a hex that had gnawed at the nation’s football psyche for years, winning a World Cup knockout game for the first time since 1986, and the head turner will be the manner in which it happened. Javier Aguirre’s players cut Ecuador apart in a stunning first-half performance that rocked a pulsating Estadio Azteca to its foundations and laid a marker for the round of 16. Thudding finishes from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez sent them clear and they could manage their way through the remainder, resting legs for their next assignment here on Sunday.
Their likely opponents? England, even if one must not discount the Democratic Republic of the Congo making a statement about that. Whoever travels here next must deal with an atmosphere that, for all this tournament’s self-imposed sterility, sets the hairs on end. They must also find a way to cope with the 17-year-old wunderkind Gilberto Mora, whose performance on a night of such pressure defied belief.
It all came to pass after ferocious weather conditions postponed kick-off for an hour. If anything the extended wait gave this occasion an even more heightened, epic feel. This awesome concrete bowl, for which nothing can truly prepare a first-time visitor, seemed to hold in the thunder as it roared from above. The noise was startling but, when the teams finally emerged to warm up 10 minutes after the scheduled start, it was clear the locals had plenty of their own stored up. Gimmick or not, the big screen decibel monitor reached 149 when supporters were invited to test its scope.
They were happy to be dry but it was a release of expectation, too. Each of Mexico’s games this summer has been more highly charged than the last. Fans had begun gathering in numbers along Paseo de la Reforma, in the city’s heart, well before midday. Local authorities had erected 39 screens in the centre to accommodate the expected flood of green; some estimates put the likely number of revellers at more than a million should Mexico come through victorious. By the start, nobody cared much about the earlier drenching.
The question was who the delay might serve best. Perhaps it levelled the playing field given Ecuador had been kept awake by several hundred Mexican fans outside their hotel the previous night. It had been enough to bring an indignant complaint to Fifa from Ecuador’s FA. They would surely have expected a commotion but the late arrival of their bus to the stadium, weather and traffic congestion added to their frayed preparation.
Answers swiftly followed in a way that overwhelmed the senses. Mexico’s performance before the interval was breathtaking and it is hard to think of many equivalents to the din that greeted both goals. They had swarmed over Ecuador for the first 15 minutes, overcoming an isolated warning when John Yeboah struck the outside of a post, and a breakthrough felt inevitable.
It arrived thrillingly when the left-back Jesús Gallardo, finding Quiñones just inside his own half and onside, clipped him into gaping space. As Ecuador’s defence sought to recover Quiñones scorchedtowards the box and, working the ball onto his right foot, hammered it into the roof of Hernán Galíndez’s net.
Cue utter pandemonium. It seemed an affirmative moment: proof Mexico, more effective than fluent until now, could hit their stride and perform with a level of emphasis to grace the stage. Much of that was down to Mora, a deft, devilish schemer blessed with subtlety and range. He was fundamental to their rapid start, stitching right-sided patterns with Roberto Alvarado and almost scoring a curler from the other side.
The second goal, though, came from a player more than double Mora’s age. Jiménez, 35 and counting, had earlier missed the kind of header he specialised in burying. This time he benefited from a fudged clearance from Joel Ordóñez, swapping passes with Quiñones before smacking unstoppably past Galíndez with little backlift.
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It was irresistible, addictive, making every other of this World Cup’s offerings appear relatively sterile. Yeboah almost supplied a quick comedown, making Raúl Rangel tip wide, but then Jiménez came close again and Mexico bounced down the tunnel.
Ecuador had turned heads in overcoming a one-goal deficit against Germany. They and their engaging head coach Sebastián Beccacece had seemed to justify their billing as an outside bet for the business end. This was a far taller order. Two interval changes had little immediate impact beyond a greater possession share. Mexico were happy to operate more conservatively while staying alert for chances to break.
Mora, so clever and sharp, sniffed one but was felled crudely by Piero Hincapié. It was his final action; he will be needed on Sunday and the level acclaim when he walked off came second only to that which greeted the goals. On this evidence Mexico have an extraordinary player on their hands.
César Montes came close with two headers and the Ecuador substitute Kevin Rodríguez missed a chance to add late jeopardy. An added-time red card for Hincapié for covering his mouth guaranteed Mexico could celebrate wildly.
