Mexico’s campaign at 2024 Copa América came to a surprising end on Sunday night. Mexico only managed a draw against Ecuador, which placed them third in Group B and out of the tournament.
After suffering a loss to Venezuela and recording a win against Jamaica in the first two matches of the group stage, Mexico needed a win against Ecuador to advance to the quarterfinals. Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano’s team played with intensity from the very start of the match, but found it hard to penetrate Ecuador’s defense.
As the time was running out, Mexico kept on going all-in on the attack, and it seemed like they were handed a lifeline when referee Mario Escobar pointed to the spot in the ninth minute of added time. Felix Torres brought down Guillermo Martinez in the penalty box, and Escobar deemed that the contact was enough for a penalty kick.
However, a quick disappointment followed for Mexico as Escobar decided to watch the incident again using VAR technology and changed his decision.
With the draw, Mexico and Ecuador both finished with four points in Group B. However, Ecuador got second place behind Venezuela thanks to a better goal difference.
Mexico has now failed to progress from the group stage of Copa América four times in the last five editions of the tournament. However, the national team’s sporting director, Dulio Davino, said there is optimism about the future and that Lozano will remain in his position despite calls for his sacking.
“The project continues,” Davino said after the game.
