Nery Castillo and Omar Bravo were on target as Mexico qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa America thanks to a 2-1 win over Ecuador.
After opening their Group B account with an unexpected 2-0 victory over Brazil, Hugo Sanchez's side proved too strong for the Ecuadorians and booked their place in the last eight.
Castillo took advantage of some ordinary defending to open the scoring after 21 minutes with his second of the tournament.
Ecuador went in search of an equaliser but found it hard to break down a determined Mexican rearguard despite controlling the majority of possession.
And they paid the price 10 minutes from time as a swift Mexico counter-attack saw substitute Cuauhtemoc Blanco cross for Bravo to plant a header past goalkeeper Cristian Mora.
Ecuador ensured a nervy final five minutes for Hugo Sanchez's side as a long-range strike by Edison Mendez reduced the deficit but they could not conjure an equaliser.
The result was the second defeat of the tournament for Luis Fernando Suarez's men but they can still make the quarter-finals if they defeat Brazil on Wednesday in Puerto La Cruz, where Mexico will also play Chile.
