Aguirre confirms Mexico exit after England’s Azteca demolition job

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre has confirmed he is stepping down from his role following his side’s World Cup exit at the hands of England, with assistant Rafa Marquez set to take charge of El Tri going forward.

England produced one of their greatest away performances in years to beat Mexico at a raucous Azteca Stadium, sending the hosts crashing out of their own World Cup and booking Thomas Tuchel’s side a spot in the quarter-finals.

Aguirre’s departure had reportedly been agreed before the tournament began, but the manner of the defeat clearly stung the veteran coach as he addressed the media afterwards.

Aguirre’s emotional farewell

“I leave with mixed feelings. On one hand, I’m proud of the family we built and very satisfied with the work done,” Aguirre said in his press conference.

“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.”

The outgoing boss admitted he had hoped to bow out on a high note in front of his own supporters. “I would have liked to say goodbye to my people with a victory — for everyone to be satisfied,” he 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.”

Aguirre pointed to the shot count as evidence of how cruel the result had been on his players, despite England’s clinical edge in front of goal. “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,” he added.

Marquez handed the reins

Aguirre was full of praise for his successor, former Barcelona defender Rafa Marquez, who takes charge of a young Mexico side after previously serving as his assistant.

“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,” he said.

“I’ll leave it to you to judge, but I am happy with the growth of Rafa Marquez and many of the players. They played with the heart of Mexico.”

Tuchel savours ‘crazy’ Azteca night

England boss Thomas Tuchel was full of admiration for his players after securing a result on foreign soil that will live long in the memory of supporters back home.

“This team really mean it. When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief. It was one step more,” Tuchel said.

“We need to take this in. This is Azteca, it’s Mexico, a crazy game. We left everything out there, every single one of us. We need to take this in, now it’s full steam ahead.”

Read more: Where does England’s stunning Mexico win rank among their greatest away results?