Mexico won their first World Cup knockout stage match in 40 years after dispatching Ecuador 2-0 in front an electric crowd at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Tuesday.
A one-hour delay to kickoff due to lightning around the stadium did nothing to dampen the atmosphere inside. Fueled by the roars of the home crowd, Mexico came out dominating their South American opponents. They scored twice in nine first-half minutes, courtesy of standout strikes from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.
- How Mexico's World Cup run brought a small Oregon town to life
It was the same scoreline and in the same venue as the only previous occasion that Mexico made it through a knockout round, when they beat Bulgaria in 1986, the last time the country was a host for the quadrennial event.
"It had been about 40 years since the last time I saw the Azteca like this," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.
The first expanded 48-team World Cup means Mexico have not yet realized their long and frustrating pursuit to make it back to the quarterfinals but, after seven consecutive defeats at the first knockout hurdle, Tuesday's victory will taste plenty sweet.
"This win means a lot to me. I was one of those players who couldn't make it to the fifth game [quarterfinals]. It hurts a lot," Aguirre added. "You get past the group stage and perform well, but then there's a critical error that takes you out. Today, the connection with the fans gave us a boost. This is a spectacular stadium. It's a great night for Mexicans."
The co-hosts will now look to complete their last-eight quest when they take on either England or Congo DR back at Azteca on Sunday.
It would be brave to bet against them. Mexico have now lost just twice in 89 competitive games at Azteca, winning 70 of them, and they are unbeaten in 10 World Cup games played in Mexico City.
Their run to the last 16 this time has been dominant. A shutout Tuesday made Aguirre's side just the fourth team in World Cup history to win its first four games without conceding a goal.
It was Quiñones' third goal of the tournament, and he is now El Tri's second-best scorer in World Cup history behind Luis "Matador" Hernández and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, who scored four each.
Jiménez scored his second goal of the tournament and has 47 with the national team to break a tie with Jared Borgetti. He is five away from tying Javier Hernández as the all-time leading scorer for Mexico.
"The first half is very close to the perfect performance we are aiming for. In the second half, we knew how to defend and adjust to the pressure they applied after making significant changes," Aguirre said.
Mexico became the first Concacaf side to eliminate a CONMEBOL team in a World Cup knockout match. Teams from South America won the previous five meetings.
For Ecuador, it was a disappointing end to a tournament that promised much after a shock win over Germany in their final group game.
They exited with a whimper and with 10 men after a red card to defender Piero Hincapié in second-half stoppage time as a result of a new rule punishing players for covering their mouth when talking to opponents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.