Tragedy has overshadowed celebrations in Mexico City, where at least two people have died during street parties marking the national team’s advance to the World Cup knockout stage. City health officials confirm a nineteen-year-old woman and a forty-four-year-old man died of asphyxiation as crowds swelled following Mexico’s two-nil win over Ecuador. Local media are reporting a possible third fatality, but that has not yet been confirmed by authorities.
The celebrations were unprecedented in scale. City government estimates put the crowd at more than one million people, most of them packed around the Angel of Independence monument in the heart of the capital. The scenes came after Mexico ended a 40-year wait for a World Cup knockout victory, their first since 1986, the last time the country hosted the tournament. Julian Quinones opened the scoring midway through the first half, before turning provider for Raul Jimenez to seal the win.
On the pitch, it’s a historic run for the co-hosts. Mexico is now unbeaten in ten World Cup matches at the famous Azteca Stadium, and heads into the round of 16 where they’ll meet the winner of England’s clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo. But for now, questions are likely to turn to crowd safety, as officials continue to investigate exactly how the celebrations turned deadly.
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