Mexico needed to beat Ecuador in their final Group B match to advance to the knockout stages of the Copa América, but they could only secure a 0-0 draw. He almost found a solution in the final seconds of added time when the referee awarded Mexico a penalty, but after watching the video the decision was overturned.
Mexico managed just one goal in 270 minutes of group play in a dismal tournament for the 2026 World Cup co-hosts. Towards the end of Sunday’s match, three announcements were also made over the tannoy at State Farm Stadium, warning fans to stop a discriminatory chant. A statement warning that the referee had the right to suspend the match if homophobic slurs persisted was also broadcast in Spanish on the big screen.
GO FURTHER
Mexico-Ecuador match threatened with termination due to homophobic chants
And Ecuador’s reward for holding off Mexico? A quarter-final date with world champions Argentina in Houston on July 4.
Stuart James and Thom Harris assess the key talking points…
Will Argentina be worried by what they saw in this match?
Nerves? Maybe. What should Argentina worry about? Absolutely not.
It was a must-win game for Mexico, and one that Ecuador would have preferred not to leave to chance, but for long periods of a disjointed and irritable match it seemed that neither team quite had what it took. Bad first touches, long balls with no aim, slips, falls and fouls, a scoreless opening 45 minutes in particular had it all.
On the half-hour mark, Alan Franco inadvertently sent a five-yard pass onto Piero Hincapie’s chest. The left-back had no choice but to control the ball and volley it over the line. Two minutes later, the usually impeccable Bayer Leverkusen centre-back deflected another long ball out of bounds. When Ecuador did manage to penetrate the final third – as they did with Enner Valencia in the 80th minute – it was baffling decision-making that let them down.
Alexander Dominguez celebrates after securing Ecuador’s place in the quarter-finals (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Mexico were also not very creative and, although they increased the intensity significantly in the second half to score, the best chances came from set pieces, free kicks in the penalty area and moments of individuality, rather than anything manufactured in the dressing room. A 96th-minute penalty, eventually overturned by VAR, would have been the most spectacular red card of the competition.
With the reigning world champions expected in the next round, we will have to put things in order. Argentina have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight official matches and certainly won’t go down without a better plan.
Santi Gimenez’s group stage goalless
Lost causes. Santiago Gimenez spent a lot of time chasing those causes on another frustrating night for the Mexico forward, who leaves the Copa América without a goal to his name and whose run of games without a goal for his country has been extended to 12.
It’s not for lack of trying. A header that flew over the goal in the first half was followed by a right-footed shot that hit the outside of the post in the second half. In the meantime, Gimenez never stopped running through the corridors, looking for the long balls that he hoped would bring joy to Mexico.
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
His big chance came in the previous game, against Venezuela, and one wonders how differently things might have turned out for Gimenez had he scored cleanly in front of goal in Los Angeles.
Prolific in the Feyenoord jersey, the 23-year-old failed to translate this form into the national team. Inevitably, questions will arise in Mexico over the decision to leave Henry Martin and Raul Jimenez, two experienced strikers, at home. But the quality of Mexico’s attacking play more generally suggests that any center forward would struggle to make much of an impact here.
GO FURTHER
The curious case of Santiago Gimenez: wanted in Europe but struggling in the Copa
What went wrong for Mexico?
Disappointment will linger for some time yet for Mexico, whose hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Copa America have predictably ended.
Predictable because Mexico has had so little attacking threat, with its solitary tournament goal scored by left back Gerardo Arteaga in an opening match against Jamaica feeling like a long time ago now.
The defeat to Venezuela, when Orbelin Pineda missed a penalty, meant El Tri had to beat Ecuador to progress – a result that rarely looked likely in a game that exposed Mexico’s limitations. They huffed and puffed but there was a distinct lack of quality.
Mexico failed to advance out of the group stage at the 2011 and 2015 Copa America tournaments, but this latest setback will hurt. On the face of it, Mexico had a good draw, but they still couldn’t find their way past two CONMEBOL second division nations.
The spotlight will now turn to Jaime Lozano, the coach who had been assured of staying in his post until the end of the 2026 World Cup. Will a group stage elimination prompt him to reconsider his decision?
Johan Vasquez dejected after Mexico’s elimination is sealed (Chris Coduto/AFP via Getty Images)
What’s next for each team?
Argentina vs. Ecuador — Thursday, July 4, 9:00 p.m. ET (NRG Stadium, Houston, TX)
Mexico is eliminated from the tournament.
What did the leaders say?
Ecuador coach Félix Sánchez on Argentina: “They are reigning world champions, Copa América champions, and they have the best players in the world, who play for the best clubs in the world. They have a strong group, and they have developed a clear idea under the same coach (Lionel Scaloni)… We are going to have to play a perfect game, but we are going there motivated. It is 11 against 11 and we are going to do everything we can.”
Mexican coach Jaime Lozano on his future: “When you don’t achieve your goals, there are always doubts, but if the players believed until the end, it’s for a reason. It’s not easy to create this union, this circle and this commitment that they had for seven weeks before and during this competition. There is a process and others will decide what happens next, but for me it is clear that we came out and were the protagonists. »
Lozano on what Mexico is missing: “We have improved a lot defensively, but now we have to find the balance and work on patience, the final touch in the attacking third. We learned a lot from these players in this tournament and it’s an experience that will help us. »
Required reading
(Top photo: Chris Cuduto/AFP via Getty Images)
