Obsessed for the last three decades with reaching the fifth game in a World Cup, the Mexican team finally reached that goal this Tuesday, after beating its counterpart from Ecuador 2-0 at the Azteca Stadium to advance to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, also with an extraordinary performance in all areas.

After the disappointments experienced in the USA 1994, France 1998, Korea/Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, editions in which they always succumbed to the first changes after overcoming the group stage, the Tricolor took advantage of their home field to, as in Mexico 1986, win a second round match again, that is, 40 years later.

Like a macabre joke of fate, for such an important occasion the rain made El Tri and their fans wait longer than necessary, since a thunderstorm warning south of Mexico City forced the start of the match to be postponed for an hour; However, to the rhythm of Juan Gabriel, Julión Álvarez, the Ángeles Azules and many other idols of Mexican music, the more than 80,000 Aztec followers turned the 'Colossus of Santa Úrsula' into a giant nightclub and kept their spirits high.

And the wait was worth it, because with a virtuoso game, full of quality touches and a dizzying pace, the Mexican team devastated the Ecuadorian during the first 45 minutes, in which they took a 2-0 lead, which they could have, at least, doubled.

Javier Aguirre, who also won a second round match in a World Cup for the first time in three attempts, put his gala team on the field with Raúl Rangel in goal; Jorge Sánchez, César Montes, Johan Vásquez and Jesús Gallardo in defense; Erik Lira as a pivot along with Luis Romo and Gilberto Mora in midfield; Roberto Alvarado and Julián Quiñones on the wings, with Raúl Jiménez in the center of the attack, a 4-3-3 with a clear offensive vocation.

In front, Sebastián Beccacece, Argentine coach of 'La Tri', proposed a 4-4-2 with Hernán Galíndez in goal; Piero Hincapié, Willian Pacho, Joel Ordóñez and Alan Franco at the back; Nilson Angulo, Moisés Caicedo, Pedro Vite and John Yeboah in midfield, with Enner Valencia and Gonzalo Plata up front, a formation that gave up the ball and entrenched itself in its half of the playing field to not leave any space for the local team.

However, Mexico was a green gale from the opening whistle. Between Romo, Mora, Alvarado and Sánchez they charged the attacks on the right wing, from where services came that Mora in the fifth minute and Romo one minute later finished off from the outside. And even clearer was the next arrival, in which a measured center from Romo at the head was finished off to the side by Jiménez, who would later have revenge.

Ecuador then tried to come out playing, but the suffocating pressure of the locals stifled their attempts with continuous steals of the ball, which gave rise to dangerous vertical advances, one of which was wasted by Alvarado in the 13th minute with a deflected shot after theft and driving by Quiñones. Two minutes later, Mora flirted with the goal with a shot from the left that brushed Galíndez's left post.

At 18', on the first occasion that the team was able to pierce the Mexican defense, 'Tala' appeared to deflect Yeboah's left-footed shot inside the area with his fingertips, which then hit the post.

It was not the awakening of 'La Tri', but the 'spur' that El Tri needed to score the first goal. After Romo's umpteenth recovery, now in the Mexican field, he played for Alvarado, who launched the ball into Quiñones' run on the left wing, who after cutting off Pacho placed his shot in Galíndez's right corner for the 1-0, a true great goal that made the people in the stands go crazy at 22'.

Not even the hydration break stopped the Mexicans, who maintained the same intensity until they scored 2-0. Raúl attempted a one-two with Romo, the ball was cut off by the South American defense and was recovered by the same forward, now from Wolverhampton, who passed to Quiñones, who returned it to him already inside the area so that with a right-footed shot he sent the ball to the left corner of Galíndez's goal and made it 2-0 at 31'.

Without further possibilities to speculate, Ecuador advanced its lines and launched itself forward, but ran into a 'Tala' Rangel in a state of grace. At 39', the Chivas goalkeeper excelled with a great shot at another shot from Yeboah, now from the right. Thus, Mexico crowned a dream first 45 minutes that, without a doubt, are already among the best in its history in the World Cups.

Proof of this is that Ecuador, in 23 games with Beccacece on the bench, had never conceded two goals in the same match, let alone in one half.

Push, yes; stuck, no

As expected, the Ecuadorian team took the initiative in the second half. With Ángelo Preciado and Kevin Rodríguez to go further forward, the South American team locked Mexico in their midfield, but despite the pressure, at no time did they put 'Tala' in danger, confirming the lack of punch that has affected them since the qualifiers for this World Cup. Aguirre, meanwhile, was forced to replace Mora in the 58th minute due to a blow, but he made the change man by man by bringing on Brian Gutiérrez. Mexico was late, but he was finally able to counterattack and, at 66', Montes headed a corner kick that Galíndez deflected into a corner kick. Immediately afterwards, Vásquez again won from above, but Montes, in his eagerness to finish again, hindered him and the ball went very close to the frame.

After the hydration break, at 74', Caicedo threw a great serve to Kevin Rodríguez, who beat Vásquez's back and lowered the ball with his chest, but finished to the side before the exit of 'Tala', who was left prone due to a blow with the Ecuadorian striker.

From then on, the Tricolor settled better and began to play the ball, while the fans followed to the rhythm of the 'olés'. Still at 90 2', after a one-two with Lira, Orbelín Pineda was inches away from making it 3-0, but the ball went over the crossbar.

In the last moments, the Ecuadorians lost their minds and the kicks began and, after a hard tackle on Orbelín, several players lost their minds. Piero Hincapié covered his mouth to insult Santiago Giménez and the referee, the Slovenian Slavko Vincic, sent off the Arsenal full-back after a VAR review.

Thus, the Ecuadorian team, which had the opportunity to avenge some of its most painful defeats, such as the one suffered in the semifinals of the 1993 Copa América, when Mexico defeated it 0-2 in Quito, or the one in the group stage of Korea/Japan 2002, when El Tri came from behind to win 2-1 at the Miyagi stadium in Rifu, in Japanese territory, returns home without improving its best performance, in Germany 2006, when he reached the round of 16.

For its part, after another magical night at the Azteca Stadium, the Mexican team is already in the round of 16, where it awaits the winner of the duel between England and Ghana. There will be a fifth game and with maximum enthusiasm. And like the phrase that the fans chanted in unison and that has gone viral on social networks in reference to the possibility of winning this World Cup: What if? Next Sunday we will discover it in the same 'Colossus of Santa Úrsula'.