Quiñones puts Mexico ahead, Jiménez adds second against Ecuador

Julián Quiñones broke Mexico through in the 22nd minute and Raúl Jiménez added a second nine minutes later, giving the Selección Mexicana a 2-0 halftime lead over Ecuador in a World Cup Round of 32 match at Mexico City Stadium on June 30, 2026.

The opening goal showed the kind of direct, efficient attack Mexico needed. Roberto Alvarado delivered the pass, Quiñones took it into the area and finished at the near post past Hernán Galíndez for the 1-0. In a match with immediate survival stakes, the finish mattered as much as the move itself: one clean touch, one sharp run and one early shot to give Mexico control.

Javier Aguirre leaned into that attacking shape from the start, with Quiñones, Jiménez and Alvarado all in the starting front line. Telemundo reported that kickoff was delayed because severe weather hit the south of Mexico City before the match, but the delay did not blunt Mexico’s urgency once play began. ESPN recorded the scoreline as Mexico 2, Ecuador 0 at halftime, with Jiménez scoring in the 31st minute to extend the lead.

That sequence gave Mexico a rare kind of knockout calm. Quiñones, who has often been valued for movement and pace as much as finishing, turned Alvarado’s service into a goal that arrived before Ecuador could settle. Jiménez then reinforced the advantage with a second strike that left Mexico with room to manage the rest of a direct-elimination contest. FIFA and Concacaf placed the match in the official 2026 World Cup calendar as a winner-take-all round of 32 game, making every attack, every delivery and every finish carry the weight of the tournament stage.