MEXICO CITY – Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said he felt proud but hurt after being knocked out of the World Cup by losing 3-2 to England on Sunday night at Estadio Azteca.
“I leave with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’m proud of the family we’ve created and very happy with the work we’ve done,” Aguirre said after the match. “When you lose, it’s hard to get over it. Success is a path paved with mistakes that you have overcome. It’s about going from failure to failure until you finally succeed.”
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“It will be a difficult night for all of Mexico, both in the locker room and at home. We won’t sleep for long. I have no words. I’m overwhelmed with emotions. I think this is where the dream ends.”
Jude Bellingham scored twice for England in less than three minutes of the first half before Julián Quiñones pulled one back for Mexico, who had not conceded a goal in their first four World Cup games.
The referee then awarded each team a penalty – one converted by Harry Kane and the other by Raul Jimenez – in the second half after England international Jarell Quansah was red carded for a heavy challenge on Jesus Gallardo, with Thomas Tuchel’s side holding on for victory with just 10 men.
“I would like to say goodbye to my people with a victory so that everyone is happy,” Aguirre said. “Hurt. It hurts a lot… but I have no more words. I’m not going to make excuses, a loss is a loss.
“They scored three goals from four or five shots and we had 18 shots – six or seven on target – but that doesn’t mean anything. We lost. Our opponent made no mistakes against us. We wish them a great World Cup.”
Javier Aguirre and Mexico were eliminated from the World Cup by England in the round of 16 on Sunday. Getty Images
Midfielder Eric Lira said he believed Mexico played with flying colors in front of 80,000 fans at Estadio Azteca and could leave the World Cup happy but not satisfied.
“It’s going to be a tough night. Honestly, I’ve been feeling proud for a while now to be Mexican, proud to wear this jersey and proud to belong to this national team, this family – because I think we played with great honor,” Lira said after the loss. “Honestly, I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy with what we’ve achieved.
“Today we planted a seed that we will remember in the future, and I am confident that great things are ahead of us.”
Assistant coach Rafa Marquez will now take over as Mexico coach, replacing Aguirre as part of a succession plan announced ahead of the World Cup.
“I wish them all the best. I hugged Rafa. We came from a difficult situation – competing in the Nations League and Gold Cup with a young team, many of whom are thinking about moving to Europe,” Aguirre said. “I’ll leave it to you to judge, but I’m happy with the growth of Rafa Marquez and a lot of the players.
“They played with the heart of Mexico.”
The defeat was only Mexico’s third competitive defeat at the Azteca tournament, which began in 1966, following a pair of 2-1 defeats in World Cup qualifying matches to Costa Rica in 2001 and Honduras in 2013.
England will now advance to the World Cup quarter-finals to face Norway in Miami Gardens, Florida.