Mexico end Ecuador's World Cup, Valencia retires

Mexico 2–0, your World Cup is over

Ecuador went out of the World Cup on Wednesday night. Mexico 2–0 in the round of 16 at the Azteca, and the co-hosts were just too much (1) (2) (5). Julián Quiñones opened the scoring and Raúl Jiménez added the second, Ecuador never found a way back (1) (3). Piero Hincapié and the backline held for stretches, but the attacking edge that beat Germany never showed up.

Sebastián Beccacece's touchline energy could only carry the team so far. The hotel disruptions, the Azteca noise, a Mexico side on a mission, the deck was stacked. "A career-highlight win," Javier Aguirre called it (5).

Valencia retires from the national team

Enner Valencia has officially retired from international football after the match. Ecuador's all-time top scorer leaves on a quiet note, a knockout defeat in Mexico City. His goal against Germany last week to send Ecuador through will be the final image of him in the shirt.

Mexico's defensive record is historic

Mexico became only the third team in World Cup history to start a tournament with four wins and four clean sheets. Brazil 1986 and Italy 1990 are the only others to have done it. That is the level of resistance Ecuador ran into at the Azteca.

Fan reactions

The mood is deflated. One fan shared a photo of Valencia's retirement announcement and the replies were seconds of silence. Quiñones added some sting after the match, saying the Europe-based Ecuadorians "don't mean they are better players than us." A separate thread noted three fatalities from suffocation during celebrations in Mexico, a grim footnote to the night. Full match thread