Goodbye with your head held high
The Mexican National Team said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup after losing 3-2 to England at the Azteca Stadium. The round of 16 match, the last of the building as a World Cup venue, left an image of struggle but also of mistakes that cost dearly.
Guillermo Ochoa anticipated it: forcefulness defines powers. And so it was. Jude Bellingham scored a double (36′ and 38′) thanks to inattention in the tricolor midfield. An error by young Gilberto Mora and a lukewarm mark opened the way for the English.
Julián Quiñones responded in the 42nd minute with his fourth goal of the tournament, taking advantage of a bad clearance. Thus he equaled the mark of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and Luis “Matador” Hernández in World Cups. The Tricolor forward became one of the team’s figures.
The reaction that was not enough
The game changed at 54′ when Jarillo Quansah saw red for a strong tackle on Jesús Gallardo. But the numerical advantage was short-lived: a foul by Raúl Rangel on Anthony Gordon led to a penalty that Harry Kane converted in the 60th minute.
Raúl Jiménez closed the gap with a penalty in the 69th minute after a foul on Brian Gutiérrez. Mexico looked for an equalizer, but Jordan Pickford stopped two clear shots from the Aztec number 9. The marker no longer moved.
The 80,824 attendees chanted until the end. Javier Aguirre’s team leaves the tournament with a bittersweet balance: it showed character but also defensive failures. Azteca says goodbye with 24 World Cup matches, two finals (1970 and 1986) and now a farewell that leaves a lesson.
“This team will be remembered for a long time,” fans agree. Ochoa’s tears, Santiago Giménez’s helplessness and Aguirre’s suppressed cry sum up the feeling of a country that believed again.
