MEXICO CITY — Mexico manager Javier Aguirre said he feels proud but hurt after being eliminated from the FIFA World Cup with a 3-2 loss against England on Sunday night at the Estadio Azteca.
“I leave with mixed feelings. On one hand, proud of the family we built and very satisfied with the work done,” Aguirre said after the match. “When you lose, it’s hard to get over it. Success is a path paved with mistakes you’ve overcome. It’s about going from failure to failure until you finally succeed.
“It’s going to be a tough night for all of Mexico — in the locker room and at home. We won’t sleep much. I’m at a loss for words. I’m overcome with emotion. I think the dream ends here.”
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Jude Bellingham scored twice for England in under three minutes toward the end of the first half, before Julián Quiñones pulled one back for Mexico, who hadn’t conceded a goal in its first four games of the World Cup.
The referee then awarded a penalty to each team — one converted by Harry Kane and one by Raúl Jiménez — in the second half after England’s Jarell Quansah was given a red card for a high challenge on Jesús Gallardo as Thomas Tuchel’s side went on to hold on for the win with only 10 players.
“I would have liked to say goodbye to my people with a victory — for everyone to be satisfied,” Aguirre said. “It hurts. It hurts a lot…but well, I don’t have many more words. I’m not going to make excuses; a loss is a loss.
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“They scored three goals from four or five shots, while we had 18 shots — six or seven on target — but that counts for nothing. We lost. Our opponent didn’t make mistakes against us. We wish them a great World Cup.”
Midfielder Eric Lira said he thought Mexico played with honor in front of the 80.000 fans at Azteca and could leave the World Cup happy, but not satisfied.
“It’s going to be a tough night. Honestly, for a while now, I’ve felt so proud to be Mexican — proud to wear this jersey and proud to belong to this national team, to this family — because I think we played with great honor,” Lira said after the loss. “To be honest, I’m not satisfied, but I am happy with what we achieved.
“Today, we planted a seed that we’ll look back on in the future, and I’m certain that great things lie ahead for us.”
Assistant coach Rafa Marquez will now take over as Mexico manager, replacing Aguirre as part of the succession plan announced before the World Cup.
“I wish them the best. I gave Rafa a hug. We came from a difficult situation — competing in the Nations League and Gold Cup with a young squad, many of whom are eyeing moves to Europe,” Aguirre said. “I’ll leave it to you to judge, but I am happy with the growth of Rafa Márquez and many of the players.
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“They played with the heart of Mexico.”
The loss was only Mexico’s third competitive defeat at Azteca, which opened in 1966, after a pair of 2-1 defeats in World Cup qualifiers, to Costa Rica in 2001 and to Honduras in 2013.
England will now move on to the World Cup quarterfinals to face Norway in Miami Gardens, Florida.
