Mexico and France booked their places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after producing dominant, clean-sheet victories in their Round of 32 clashes on Tuesday.
The co-hosts thrilled a capacity crowd at the iconic Estadio Azteca, beating Ecuador 2-0 to register their first World Cup knockout victory in 40 years.
A few hours later, tournament favourites France underlined their title credentials with an emphatic 3-0 win over Sweden at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
MEXICO KEEP PERFECT RECORD INTACT
Javier Aguirre’s side continued their outstanding tournament by controlling proceedings from the opening whistle against Ecuador.
Their high-energy pressing paid off when Julián Quiñones broke the deadlock before veteran striker Raúl Jiménez punished a costly Ecuadorian mistake to double the advantage before halftime.
Mexico’s defence once again proved impossible to breach, extending their remarkable record of not conceding a single goal at the tournament.
The match ended on a sour note for Ecuador, with defender Piero Hincapié receiving a straight red card late on following an incident involving Santiago Giménez.
The victory means El Tri have now won all four of their World Cup matches on home soil and will face either England or DR Congo in the Round of 16 on Sunday, 5 July, in Mexico City.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ REACHES FIFA WORLD CUP MILESTONE
Over in New Jersey, France delivered another statement performance to strengthen their status as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
Captain Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring just before halftime before Bradley Barcola doubled the lead eight minutes into the second half.
Mbappé then completed his brace in the 74th minute, taking his tally to 18 World Cup goals and setting a new record for goals scored in the tournament’s knockout rounds.
Didier Deschamps’ men will now take on Paraguay, who stunned four-time champions Germany on penalties, in a Round of 16 clash on Saturday, 4 July.
Meanwhile, Norway, inspired by Erling Haaland, also progressed after edging Ivory Coast 2-1 to set up a mouthwatering showdown with Brazil.
With traditional heavyweights such as Germany and the Netherlands already eliminated, the race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup title has become even more unpredictable.
