Over a million absolutely thrilled fans poured into Mexico City's streets. What began as a celebration of a huge sporting triumph quickly turned into a very serious situation.
The joyous chaos erupted the instant the game finished, as years and years of hoping for victory finally evaporated in a wave of spontaneous street parties.
But a night that was meant to be filled with nothing but happiness soon took a tragic turn, as the sheer density of the crowds led to deadly incidents right in the heart of the city.
Midnight Chaos Near the Angel of Independence
The capital's health authority confirmed on Wednesday that three individuals lost their lives due to suffocation during the post-match frenzy.
Among the casualties was a 19-year-old woman, alongside a 48-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man, who were caught in the suffocating swell of the central plaza.
Emergency medical teams flooded the streets around the iconic Angel of Independence monument, desperately administering CPR before rushing victims to specialized hospitals.
Clara Brugada Molina, head of the Mexico City government, extended her deepest condolences to the grieving families while pledging immediate state assistance.
Local police found themselves completely overwhelmed as historic thoroughfares like Hamburgo and Lancaster streets turned into tightly packed bottlenecks.
Shattering a Four-Decade Knockout Stage Curse
The unprecedented scale of the gathering stemmed directly from the emotional weight of what transpired on the pitch earlier that evening.
El Tri dismantled Ecuador 2-0 at a roaring Estadio Azteca, securing their very first World Cup knockout victory in a staggering 40 years.
Julián Quiñones set the stadium alight in the 22nd minute, unleashing a ferocious strike into the top corner to give the co-hosts an early cushion.
The momentum turned into absolute bedlam just nine minutes later when veteran marksman Raúl Jiménez doubled the advantage.
Jiménez capitalized on an administrative blunder by Ecuador’s Joel Ordóñez, exchanging a quick pass with Quiñones before curling home a clinical finish.
High Stakes on the Pitch Meet Bedlam on the Streets
Ecuador fought back valiantly in the second half, throwing everything forward and hitting the woodwork via John Yeboah.
The tactical resilience of the Mexican defense held firm, marshaled beautifully by César Montes and Johan Vásquez to secure a historic clean sheet.
Tempers completely boiled over for the South American visitors in stoppage time when Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié saw a straight red card.
The milestone victory officially books Mexico a highly anticipated Round of 16 showdown against either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While the national team prepares for their next monumental test on July 6, the capital now grapples with the sobering cost of an unregulated footballing party.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xjwj8p39o
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