In the final round of Group B of the 2024 Copa America group stage, Mexico will face Ecuador. In the first 2 rounds, both teams won 1 and lost 1 and accumulated 3 points, and Ecuador ranked second in terms of goal difference. Obviously, this is a battle for a place in the qualifying places, with the winner finishing second in the group. Judging from the record of the last 6 meetings between the two teams, Mexico has a slight advantage with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. There have been four meetings in the history of the Copa America, with Mexico holding the upper hand with 3 wins and 1 loss. From the perspective of the world rankings, Mexico is currently ranked 15th and Ecuador is ranked 30th, and there is still a gap between the overall strength of the two teams.
Both teams showed a strong desire to win after the opening period, with Mexico dominating possession and creating more shots on goal, but the quality of the shots was average, with zero shots on target at half-time. Mexico were the first to threaten, as Huerta volleyed in from outside the box and the ball went wide of the box; In the 7th minute, Ecuador got an excellent set-piece opportunity in front of the field, Caicedo hit the wall with a penalty, and his teammates followed up with a follow-up shot that was confiscated by the goalkeeper;
In the 19th minute, Pais took a set-piece from the right side, and the goalkeeper flew to save the ball from the bottom line; In the 21st minute, Huerta received a cross from a teammate and nodded the ball high; In the 31st minute, Luis Romo shot from outside the box and the ball was deflected wide again; In the 41st minute, Enner Valencia broke through on the right side of the penalty area and crossed, and the ball was cleared by the defender; In the 45+1st minute, Jimenez grabbed a nod in front of the goal, and the ball was high above the crossbar;
At half-time, Mexico had 55% possession but 0 shots on target from 10 attempts; Ecuador had 6 shots on goal with 2 on target. Mexico can only have a chance of qualifying if they win, so they play aggressively. However, the attack was dominated by long-range shots, with six of the 10 shots on goal coming from outside the box, and the threat was limited. Mexico will certainly continue to strengthen their attack in the second half, but they will need to watch out for Ecuador's counter-attack. Once Ecuador scores, Mexico's prospects of qualification hang in the balance;
In the 52nd minute, Huerta crossed from the right side of the penalty area, and the ball crossed in front of the goal, but Huerta complained about the opponent's handball, and the referee did not award a penalty; After that, it was still Mexico's main attack, and Ecuador played defensive counterattacks, but Mexico had empty possession and still lacked quality in the final pass. In the 66th minute, Romo turned and shot at the top of the arc of the penalty area, and the ball was confiscated by the goalkeeper; In the 67th minute, Gignones' powerful shot from outside the penalty area was saved, and Jimenez shot at the neutral post on the right side of the goal!
In the 68th minute, Ecuador made a long pass from the backfield, and Enner Valencia's burst shot from the right side of the penalty area was saved by the goalkeeper, but he also had cramps; After that, Mexico sent in a series of crosses from the wing, but all of them were cleared away by Ecuador. The limited way to shoot was still long-range shots, but there was a lack of threat and there were still 0 shots on target.
In the 80th minute, Valencia pushed back with three people, Enzo Valencia advanced with the ball in the middle, and in the end he did not choose to pass the ball but directly kicked it from a distance; With 80 minutes on the clock, time is running out for Mexico and the mentality of the players has become impatient. In the 98th minute, there was a suspected foul in the Ecuador penalty area, but the referee determined that there was no penalty after watching the replay! In the end, Mexico had 18 shots on goal, 3 shots on target and 0 goals, and had no choice but to accept the fate of being out, and Ecuador will face Argentina in the round of 8 after advancing.