Ecuador vs Mexico concluded with a decisive 2-0 result in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, as Ecuador head coach Sebastian Beccacece acknowledged his side were outperformed during a critical first-half phase.
Mexico took a heady lead at Estadio Azteca, and Julian Quinones scored twice in the first 45 minutes, putting them up 2-0. The rapid scoring run made it difficult for Ecuador to respond and they found themselves in a reactive situation for the rest of the game.
Beccacece underscored the first imbalance as the key one. Ecuador were much better in the second half with better ball possession and territorial possession, but could not break it down into quality produce. Without the ability to go the length of the court there was no resurgence.
We were played out in the first half. But we did fight back and we just couldn’t find the goal that would have put us ahead in a knockout game, Beccacece noted.
A performance analytics point of view, Ecuador’s second-half response demonstrated resilience and adaptability. The Mexican defence, though, dealt the attacking threats back in an effective manner, and the team kept the attacking pressure at bay, while still being compact.
Beccacece wrote that his team’s effort was “unbelievable” on the whole during the tournament and that the campaign was a “neither this nor that” effort to the pre-tournament dreams. It is their first knockout-stage win at the World Cup since 1986 and Ecuador will miss out on the next stage, as Mexico’s progress proves their resurgence as a competitive side on the international level.
