Mexico end a 40-year wait, Haaland's late winner sinks Ivory Coast

On Tuesday the co-hosts finally gave a home crowd something to roar about. Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 in Mexico City to reach the round of 16, their first knockout win in 40 years. Four decades of losing at exactly this stage, ended in half an hour of first-half football.

Mexico get the party started, then Ecuador lose the plot

Julián Quiñones broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute and Raúl Jiménez doubled it in the 31st, and after that Mexico mostly managed the game. The strange part came in stoppage time, when Piero Hincapié was sent off for covering his mouth during a squabble with a Mexican substitute. That is not a typo. A new rule debuting at this World Cup treats mouth-covering during a confrontation as an automatic red, and Ecuador’s defender became one of its first victims. Twenty years since their last trip out of the group stage, and they went home a man short over a hand gesture.

Haaland finds a way, and Brazil are waiting

Norway made harder work of it. Antonio Nusa curled in a lovely opener against Ivory Coast in the 39th, Amad Diallo answered with a solo run and finish in the 75th, and the game looked bound for extra time until Erling Haaland tapped in the winner in the 86th. That is his fifth of the tournament, one behind Messi, and he becomes only the third player to score in each of his first three World Cup matches. His reward is Brazil in the last 16. Careful what you wish for.

France barely break sweat

The one result that went to the script was France’s 3-0 win over Sweden. Kylian Mbappé scored either side of a Bradley Barcola strike, notching in the 45th and 74th, and the holders strolled into a last-16 tie with Paraguay without ever looking troubled.

Round of 32: Mexico, Norway and France all through; Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Sweden out.

See how the bracket is shaping up on the live table.

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