Mexico needed to beat Ecuador in their final Group B match to qualify for the Copa América knockout stages but could only secure a 0-0 draw. They nearly found a solution in the final seconds of added time when the referee awarded Mexico a penalty, but after reviewing the video, the decision was overturned.
Mexico managed just one goal in 270 minutes of play in the group stage, in a disappointing tournament for the 2026 World Cup co-hosts. Towards the end of Sunday’s match, three announcements were also made over the loudspeakers at State Farm Stadium, warning fans to stop a discriminatory chant. A statement warning the referee that he had the right to suspend the match if the homophobic slur persisted was also broadcast in Spanish on the big screen.
GO FURTHER
Mexico v Ecuador threatened with stoppage due to homophobic chants
And Ecuador’s reward for holding off Mexico? A quarterfinal against world champions Argentina in Houston on July 4.
Stuart James and Thom Harris assess the key talking points…
Will Argentina be worried after what they saw in this match?
Nervousness ? Maybe. To the point of worrying Argentina? Absolutely not.
Mexico absolutely had to win this match, and Ecuador would have preferred not to leave it to chance, but for long periods of a tough and tense match, it seemed like neither team was really up to the task. Bad touches of the ball, long balls without a goal, slips, falls and fouls, including 45 minutes without a goal at the start of the match.
At the half-hour mark, Alan Franco accidentally sent a five-meter pass onto the chest of Piero Hincapie. The left back had no choice but to control the ball and volley the ball over the line. Two minutes later, the usually impeccable Bayer Leverkusen central defender deflected another long ball out of bounds. When Ecuador managed to penetrate the final third of the field – as they did with Enner Valencia in the 80th minute – it was some confusing decision-making that let them down.
Alexander Dominguez celebrates as Ecuador advances to the quarter-finals (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Mexico were not overflowing with ideas either, and although they noticeably upped the intensity in the second half as their need for a goal grew, the best chances came from set pieces, pinball in the penalty area and moments of individualism, rather than anything manufactured in the dressing room. A 96th-minute penalty, eventually overturned by VAR, would have been the most spectacular get-out-of-jail-free card of the competition.
With the reigning world champions due to play in the next round, things will need to be put in order. Argentina have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight competitive games and will certainly not be able to let themselves down without a more elaborate plan.
Santi Gimenez, 0-0 in the group stage
Lost causes. Santiago Gimenez spent plenty of time chasing those causes in another frustrating evening for the Mexican striker, who leaves the Copa América without a goal to his name and whose goalless streak with his country has extended at 12.
It wasn’t 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. In the meantime, Gimenez never stopped running down the wings, looking for the long balls that were hoped would bring joy to Mexico.
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
His big chance came in the previous match, 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?
The disappointment will linger for some time to come for Mexico, whose hopes of reaching the Copa America quarter-finals were predictably dashed.
That was to be expected as Mexico posed little offensive threat, their only goal of the tournament being scored by left back Gerardo Arteaga in an opening match against Jamaica that seems distant now.
The defeat to Venezuela, where Orbelin Pineda missed a penalty, left El Tri needing to beat Ecuador to qualify, a result that rarely seemed likely in a game that exposed Mexico’s limitations. They struggled to get by, but the lack of quality was glaring.
Mexico failed to advance from the group stage of the 2011 and 2015 Copa America, but this latest setback will hurt. On the face of it, Mexico benefited from a favorable draw, but they failed to make their way through two CONMEBOL second division nations.
The spotlight will now turn to Jaime Lozano, the coach who assured that he would stay in place until the end of the 2026 World Cup. Will elimination in the group stage prompt a rethink?
Johan Vasquez depressed after Mexico’s elimination 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.”
Mexico coach Jaime Lozano on his future: “I always believe in my abilities, it’s natural. The players believed in it until the end today, and it’s not easy to create this union and harmony. We’ve experienced everything throughout the Copa and weeks before. Obviously there’s a process in place, but for me the answer is clear.
Lozano on what Mexico is missing: “We have improved a lot defensively, but now we have to find that balance and work on that patience, that finishing 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)