Photos: Mexico-Ecuador World Cup match delayed 1 hour by a storm in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The match between Mexico and Ecuador for the round of 32 of the World Cup started one hour after the original scheduled time on Tuesday night due to a thunderstorm over the Mexico City Stadium area.

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It was the second match of the tournament affected by weather. A storm during the France-Iraq match at Philadelphia on June 22 caused a 2-hour, 11-minute suspension at the end of the first half.

Mexico is aiming to qualify to the round of 16 and inch closer to tie their best performances in the World Cup. Mexico reached the quarterfinals, playing at home, in 1970 and 1986.

Mexican fans blast horns outside Ecuador’s hotel, fueling a sleepless night at the World Cup

By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, AP Sports Writer

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican soccer fans did their best to give Ecuador a sleepless night ahead of their World Cup match in the round of 32 later Tuesday.

From midnight until the early hours of the morning, dozens of fans gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Santa Fe, an upscale area on the outskirts of the capital, using loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles to disturb the visiting team’s rest.

Team hotel serenades are a deeply entrenched, highly polarizing tradition in Latin American soccer. While they began as a passionate way for fans to rally behind the home team, they have increasingly evolved into a psychological weapon designed to rob visiting players of a good night’s sleep.

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After the incidents in Mexico City, the Ecuadorian soccer federation said Tuesday it has filed a formal complaint with organizers.

“Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,” the federation, known as FEF, said in a statement. “The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.”

The fan ambush, organized on social media, added to a chaotic arrival for Ecuador. The disruption capped off a grueling logistical nightmare for the South American team, which had deliberately planned a last-minute Monday night arrival to mitigate the effects of Mexico City’s 2,200-meter (7,300-foot) altitude.

To combat the physiological toll of thin air, sports scientists generally recommend two contrasting approaches: an extended acclimatization period of at least two weeks, or the “fly-in, fly-out” method — arriving as close to kick off as possible before acute symptoms set in. But Ecuador’s journey from Columbus, Ohio, was plagued by delays from the start.

“A flight delay, then the transfer to the hotel — it ended up being a nine-hour journey; we took three hours longer than scheduled,” Beccacece said. “But the team is doing well and is excited — obviously facing an opponent that posted good results in the group stage.”

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