Mexico vs. Ecuador final score: Copa America 2024 result as El Tri dumped out in group stage after scoreless draw

Mexico knew they needed to win to advance through to the Copa America knockout stage, and all they could muster was a goose egg in Glendale, crashing out in the group stage of a second straight major tournament after a 0-0 draw with Ecuador.

El Tri displayed significant attacking intent throughout the match, but were powerless to unlock Ecuador’s strong defensive solidity. The South American side presented moderate danger on the counter-attack which warranted respect, but for much of the game Mexico were on the front foot.

Considering that, their paltry number of true chances on net belied a deep-seeded lack of venom in the attacking third, something they’ve missed for years now as they continue to spiral downward.

Ecuador, for their part, knew they just needed a draw to move on thanks to a slight goal differential advantage, and they managed to keep their desperate opponent at bay. Mexico’s best chance came on a double-save by Alexander Dominguez to deny Julian Quinones and Santiago Gimenez in quick succession past the hour mark, and that, in truth, was all they could conjure.

A late penalty seemed to give El Tri dramatic life deep in stoppage time, but a VAR review showed that Guillermo Martinez flopped and it was nullified, a microcosm of Mexico's significant issues in recent competitions.

The Sporting News followed Mexico vs. Ecuador live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.

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Mexico vs. Ecuador final score

Venue: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)

Copa America 2024 Group B final standings

Starting lineups:

Mexico (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Gonzalez (GK) — 2. Sanchez, 3. Montes, 5. Vasquez, 6. Arteaga (Vega, 90') — 7. Romo (E. Sanchez, 86'), 24. Chavez — 21. Huerta (Antuna, 68'), 17. Pineda (G. Martinez, 68'), 9. Quinones (Cortizo, 86') — 11. Gimenez.

Ecuador (4-4-2, right to left): 22. Dominguez (GK) — 17. Preciado (Hurtado, 90'), 2. Torres, 6. Pacho, 3. Hincapie — 10. Paez (Minda, 67'), 21. Franco, 23. Caicedo, 16. Sarmiento (Mena, 76') — 11. K. Rodriguez (Gruezo, 76'), 13. Valencia.

MORE: Mexico's all-time record at the Copa America

Mexico vs. Ecuador live updates, highlights from Copa America 2024

FULLTIME: Mexico 0-0 Ecuador

Mexico are eliminated as Ecuador hold firm, securing a scoreless draw to go through to the quarterfinals on goal differential! El Tri threw everything they had forward in the hopes of scoring a dramatic winner, but failed to create much of anything that would trouble Alexander Dominguez.

It's a disappointing result for Mexico despite a soft Copa America draw, and they are left rueing their lack of attacking venom and multitude of missed opportunities with it all said and done.

90+9 min: Chance, Mexico! A heroic block as the ball pings chaotically around in the penalty area and Guillermo Martinez rips it on net but the powerful effort is cannoned away by an Ecuadorian defender!

90+7 min: PENALTY, MEXICO! The referee has given a penalty as Guillermo Martinez is tossed to the ground under pressure from Felix Torres.

It looked like a flop live, and on replay that's confirmed. Torres clearly gets the ball first, and then Martinez throws himself to the ground dramatically. The referee confirms after a VAR review... NO PENALTY!

Mexican fans are furious but it's the right decision to nullify the decision! In truth, it's a putrid initial call from the referee to give the penalty in the first place.

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90+3 min: Mexico players and fans scream for a penalty as a hoofed long-ball is headed into the path of Alan Franco who sees the ball clip his arm, but again like before, it's straight down by his side so nothing is given.

Mexico are losing their heads, as Uriel Antuna is booked for dissent as well as someone on the El Tri bench.

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90th min: OUCH. Gerardo Arteaga needs medical treatment after slamming the side of his head against the ground at the end of an awkward fall from an aerial duel. That's a really scary head injury, and Arteaga is left in a heap on the turf. El Tri will have to make another substitution to bring on Alexis Vega in his place, as he clearly cannot continue.

Ecuador respond by withdrawing Angelo Preciado, replaced by Jose Hurtado. Eight minutes of stoppage time are shown, which reflects Ecuador's numerous time-wasting attempts this half.

88th min: Mexico are throwing everything forward, and it has generated precious little in front of goal. Ecuador do more with one counter, but a dangerous cutback to the penalty area finds nobody in a white shirt and El Tri survive.

82nd min: Johan Vazquez is booked for a very late leg swipe on Angel Mena who had beaten one defender on a one-v-two long-ball opportunity. It results in a free-kick opportunity from about 20 yards shaded to the right of center, and Enner Valencia's powerful right-footed blast goes careening straight into the wall.

Mexico make another change as Erick Sanchez and Jordi Cortizo come on to replace Luis Romo and Julian Quinones.

80th min: Chance, Ecuador! Enner Valencia comes up empty from a 20-yard shot out top of the penalty area on the end of a counter-attack! He had options to feed teammates vertically, but took it on himself with his defender sagging back. He can't hit the target, which is a disappointing result to that quality shooting opportunity!

79th min: More Ecuador players are down needing a stretch for a cramp, and Mexico are understandably furious with the stall tactics. The referee angrily wells the Mexico players to calm down, knowing time will be added on for each of these moments.

72nd min: Alex Minda draws a foul in transition as Luis Chavez is the third Mexico international booked in this match.

Ecuador make another double change as Angel Mena and Carlos Gruezo come on, replacing Jeremy Sarmiento and Kevin Rodriguez. Mexico fans are incensed as two Ecuadorian players are down stretching out their legs in what appears at first to be a pretty clear time-wasting tactic, but the stretcher is called out for Rodriguez to get him off the pitch and he obliges, so there may have been more in it than initially appeared.

69th min: Chance, Ecuador! Now a big save for Julian Gonzalez of Mexico who awkwardly matches a shot by Enner Valencia from distance!

68th min: The two sides both make substitutions for the first time tonight. Ecuador haul off 17-year-old Kendry Paez to be replaced by Alan Minda, while Mexico bring on Guillermo Martinez and Uriel Antuna to replace Cesar Huerta and Orbelin Pineda.

65th min: Chance, Mexico! Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez has had little to do this match, but he comes up with a HUGE save as he sells out to parry a beautiful curler from Julian Quinones! He then gets to his feet in time to parry the tight-angle follow-up from Santiago Gimenez! That's the best chance of the game for El Tri so far, and maybe a sign that they're building towards the opening goal?

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62nd min: Enner Valencia takes a blow to the head as his own arm was pushed into his noggin during an aerial duel, and needs treatment before getting back to his feet slowly.

57th min: A HUGE penalty shout from Mexico as Gerardo Arteaga is scythed down in the 18-yard box but the referee says play on! It was a thumping challenge from Felix Torres, but it does look like he may have gotten a slight touch on the ball first before taking down the El Tri man.

VAR gives it a long look, but the referee plays on, as Mexico are given just a corner. A big moment in the game, but they get it spot-on!

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52nd min: Chance, Mexico! Cesar Huerta has been Mexico's brightest forward, and he gets on the ball right on the end line, redirecting it viciously across the face of goal, but nobody's there to meet it! That's lovely from Huerta to put the ball into a dangerous area, but Mexico are lacking anyone else to attack it.

There's a brief shout for handball as the ball clipped an Ecuador defender as it shot across the goal mouth, but his arm was well down by his body, not remotely enough for a penalty.

49th min: An absolutely brilliant tackle by Ecuador defender Willian Pacho dispossesses Cesar Huerta who looked to be free on goal had he broke through the final bodyguard. Just brilliant given the stakes of a miss.

Moments later, Jorge Sanchez of Mexico is booked for a foul in midfield.

2nd half kickoff: The final 45 minutes are under way as Mexico continue their bid to turn Group B around and qualify for the knockout stage. They have to win to do so, as Ecuador go through with a draw. That means El Tri need to figure out how to score at least one goal, something they've struggled to do so far.

No changes for either side, which is a little surprising.

HALFTIME: Mexico 0-0 Ecuador

Does anyone own a time machine so I can get the last 45 minutes of my life back? That was truly putrid football, as neither side created any reasonably promising chance on goal until Santiago Gimenez put a header over the crossbar in stoppage time.

Mexico ripped off 10 shots without hitting the frame, with the haul worth a total of 0.35 xG. That's a putrid 0.035 xG per shot, which means they're having a pop from terrible spots. Ecuador, meanwhile, have put two of their six shots on target, but neither was remotely troubling for Mexico goalkeeper Julio Gonzalez.

Hopefully Mexico's desperation will make the second half at least somewhat interesting, and there's only up from here. Truly uninspiring football from Mexico, who played right into Ecuador's hands.

45+1 min: Chance, Mexico! Santiago Gimenez puts a header over the crossbar! He beats Felix Torres in the air and directs the ball on frame, but can't hit the target.

43rd min: Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is booked for a naughty little step late on Orbelin Pineda. He tried to hide it, but couldn't keep from stamping on Pineda's foot.

36th min: Johan Vazquez is lucky not to be booked as he scythes down Kevin Rodriguez who was breaking free on a counter-attack.

31st min: Luis Romo receives the ball at the edge of the attacking third and charges forward towards the penalty area, forcing the Ecuador defense to scramble, but they do so with expert precision and in the end Romo has to pull the trigger early and produces a disappointing effort that skitters wide.

28th min: Knowing they only need a draw to advance, Ecuador have largely been happy to sit back and absorb pressure from a desperate Mexico, and they're quite comfortable in doing so. They are continually blowing up Mexico's buildup out top the penalty area, and El Tri have really struggled to generate chances despite the lion's share of the early attacking possession.

21st min: Mexico have the first half-chance of the match as Cesar Huerta heads a deep delivery towards the net, but he can't put his effort on frame. The chance was a high degree of difficulty given the combination between the semi-tight angle and distance from frame, but it's disappointing that Huerta can't keep it on target.

16th min: This has been an extremely physical match, and the Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar has had a lot of work to do early. Both teams feel the other side is playing dirty, leaving the official with a tightrope to walk. It wouldn't be surprising to see one or both of these teams to finish short of 11 men.

10th min: There's an early penalty shout from Mexico as a header clips the arm of an Ecuadorian defender, but the deflection provides no advantage and the player's elbow is tucked in by his side, so the referee waves play on after a short VAR review.

El Tri may feel that's a missed call, but it would have been a very soft penalty to give so early in the game on a play where nothing really happened as a result of the contact.

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6th min: An early yellow card for Cesar Montes who clobbers Enner Valencia on the break. The Ecuadorian had beaten Luis Romo before charging towards goal at pace, forcing Montes to absorb the booking lest he concede a shooting opportunity.

Montes was withdrawn at halftime of the last Mexico match, and he'll be an early substitute candidate here having to traverse nearly the entire match on a yellow card.

3rd min: Mexico have had the early attacking possession as Luis Romo snatches a midfield giveaway. They've pestered the Ecuador buildup with a very high press early on, and have won the ball back in dangerous areas multiple times.

Kickoff: They're under way in Glendale! Who will qualify for the knockout stage and earn the glory of facing defending champions Argentina in the Copa America quarterfinals?

Mexico vs. Ecuador: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: Rarely do you get such a pure qualification playoff like this in the group stage of a major tournament. Mexico must win to advance, while Ecuador only need a draw! Here we go!

30 mins to kickoff: This is an enormous match for Mexico in the story of their national team. A second straight group stage exit at a major tournament would be a devastating blow to the country's chances of achieving growth ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Can Jaime Lozano reverse the national team's course and begin an upward trend, or will they slump to another early exit and leave them searching for answers yet again with two years to go until the big event on home soil?

45 mins to kickoff: Mexico have elected to wear their peacock kit, which pays homage to the local bird of Mayan legend. The myth says that the peacock got its beautiful plumage in an arrangement with the roadrunner, but forgot to make good on the bargain and thus lost its glorious singing voice as punishment.

The kit may, ironically, reflect that Mayan myth. While the peacock's plumage adorns the Mexican kit, they haven't exactly been singing beautifully on the pitch and are in danger of crashing out of the Copa America group stage, just as they did in the latest World Cup. Can El Tri make music tonight and qualify for the knockout round?

1 hour to kickoff: Ecuador boss Felix Sanchez makes no changes to his starting XI after toppling Jamaica last time out. The aforementioned Kendry Paez is in, as is Kevin Rodriguez, while Alex Minda misses out despite scoring his first goal for Ecuador in the recent victory.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Star of the show last time out for Ecuador was 17-year-old Kendry Paez, a young playmaker with domestic club Independiente del Valle. Paez was electric, scoring a goal on six shots while creating two chances for teammates across the 90 minutes.

Paez has 11 caps already despite his youth, with two goals and two assists already to his name. It's no surprise that he's already been snatched up by a big European club, as Chelsea have agreed to a deal to sign Paez once he turns 18 and is eligible to join the club. The deal is reportedly worth a maximum of €20 million ($21.5m /  £17m) including add-ons, seeing him link up with international teammate Moises Caicedo at the club level.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: According to a report by Gibran Araige of TUDN , Mexico head coach will make just one change from the team that fell to Venezuela last time out. Orbelin Pineda will enter the fray, while "Charly" Rodriguez drops out. Otherwise, the other 10 players retain their places!

It's a gutsy decision from head coach Jaime Lozano, as Pineda missed an 87th minute penalty late in the 1-0 defeat to Venezuela, having come off the bench as a substitute.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: With Venezuela already qualified and Jamaica already eliminated, one of these two teams will end up through to the knockout stage, but only one. It's essentially a qualifier all on its own.

Ecuador hold the slight advantage thanks to their one-goal differential lead, meaning they would go through with a draw, while Mexico have to win to advance!

2 hours before kickoff: This game is a straight shootout for the quarterfinals. The winner will go through; the loser will be out. If it's a draw, it's Ecuador who will progress.

Mexico vs. Ecuador lineups, team news, starting 11

Mexico faces Ecuador without captain Edson Alvarez, who has been sidelined for the rest of the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained against Jamaica. Luis Romo will likely continue as a holding midfielder alongside Luis Chavez in Alvarez's absence.

In the match against Venezuela, three newcomers — Cesar Huerta, Israel Reyes, and Alexis Vega — made their Copa America debuts as substitutes, adding depth to the Mexican squad.

Only Huerta did well enough to earn a starting spot in the all-important group finale, while Orbelin Pineda does enter the XI for Mexico in place of Carlos Rodriguez despite having missed a late penalty against Venezuela as a substitute.

Mexico starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): J. Gonzalez (GK) — J. Sanchez, Montes, J. Vasquez, Arteaga — Romo, Chavez — Huerta, Pineda, Quinones — Gimenez.

Mexico subs (14): Acevedo (GK), Rangel (GK), Orozco, Reyes, B. Garcia, B. Gonzalez, C. Rodriguez, E. Sanchez, Cortizo, Flores, Alvarado, Vega, Antuna, G. Martinez.

Meanwhile, Ecuador anticipates the return of Enner Valencia after his suspension following a red card in the opening match against Venezuela. Kevin Rodriguez led the attack in their match against Jamaica and keeps his place alongside 17-year-old Chelsea-bound Kendry Paez keeping his place.

Alan Minda scored his debut international goal from the bench last time out, but misses out as Ecuador make no changes to the starting XI.

Ecuador starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): Dominguez (GK) — Preciado, Torres, Pacho, Hincapie — Paez, Franco, Caicedo, Sarmiento — K. Rodriguez, Valencia.

Ecuador subs (max 15): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff

Mexico vs. Ecuador live stream, TV channel

USA: Mexico vs. Ecuador from the State Farm Stadium will be televised in the United States on Fox Sports, with a Spanish-language broadcast via TUDN USA and Univision. Those channels are available to stream on Fubo , who are offering a FREE seven-day trial . ViX is also providing a Spanish-language stream.

Canada: This match will be shown on TSN and RDS.

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