Mexico thrilled home fans with a dominant victory over Ecuador while Erling Haaland’s late strike fired Norway into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after a dramatic win over Ivory Coast.
WEBDESK – SHARJAH NEWS
Co-hosts Mexico produced another commanding display at the iconic Mexico City Stadium, defeating Ecuador 2-0 to book their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 and continue their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez secured the victory in front of a roaring home crowd as Mexico maintained their remarkable defensive record with a fourth consecutive clean sheet.
The match, which was delayed by weather before kickoff, saw Mexico dominate the first half with aggressive attacking football and disciplined defending. Quinones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before veteran striker Jimenez doubled the advantage nine minutes later.
Despite Ecuador enjoying 53 percent possession, the South American side struggled to break through Mexico’s organized backline. Mexico finished with 15 goal attempts compared to Ecuador’s seven.
Ecuador’s frustrations boiled over deep into stoppage time when defender Piero Hincapie received a red card following an off-the-ball altercation.
The victory extended Mexico’s impressive streak to seven consecutive wins and marked their 10th victory in 12 matches during 2026. The hosts have now gone four World Cup matches without conceding a goal and remain unbeaten in competitive fixtures at the Azteca since 2013.
Mexico will now face either England or DR Congo in the Round of 16, with growing belief among supporters that the hosts could make a deep run in the tournament.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, Erling Haaland once again proved decisive as Norway edged Ivory Coast 2-1 in a thrilling encounter to advance to the knockout stage.
Antonio Nusa gave Norway the lead in the 39th minute with a stunning curling strike after a clever assist from Martin Odegaard. Ivory Coast responded strongly in the second half and leveled through Manchester United winger Amad Diallo after an energetic attacking display.
With the match heading toward extra time, Norway found the winner in the 86th minute. Substitute Oscar Bobb combined brilliantly with Patrick Berg, who squared the ball for Haaland to finish into an empty net for his fifth goal of the tournament.
Ivory Coast pressed for a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time, but goalkeeper Orjan Nyland made a crucial save to deny Amad’s late free-kick effort.
Norway’s victory sets up one of the tournament’s biggest knockout clashes against Brazil in New York, while Haaland strengthened his position among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot award.
The latest round of matches added more excitement to an already dramatic World Cup, with Mexico’s defensive dominance and Norway’s attacking firepower emerging as major talking points ahead of the knockout stage.
