At least two people have died during massive celebrations in Mexico City after Mexico secured a historic victory over Ecuador to reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
According to the Mexico City government, a 19-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man died from asphyxiation on Wednesday as huge crowds filled the streets to celebrate the national team’s success.
Local authorities said they had not confirmed reports by some media outlets claiming a third person also died during the festivities.
The celebrations erupted after Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 on Wednesday to register their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since 1986, ending a 40-year wait and sending the tournament co-hosts into the last 16.
An estimated one million fans gathered across Mexico City, with the largest crowds assembling around the iconic Angel of Independence monument as supporters celebrated long into the night.
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Julian Quinones opened the scoring midway through the first half with a powerful strike before providing the assist for Raul Jimenez to seal the victory.
The triumph ended Mexico’s decades-long drought in World Cup knockout matches, with their previous victory at that stage coming during the 1986 tournament, which they hosted.
Mexico’s impressive run has also extended their unbeaten record at the Azteca Stadium to 10 World Cup matches, boosting confidence ahead of a Round of 16 clash against either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The co-hosts have emerged as one of the tournament’s standout teams, winning all three of their group-stage matches without conceding a goal, joining France and Argentina as the only sides to achieve that feat.