PRD's dour but well-known Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, a twice-defeated runner, now mayor of Mexico city.

ECONOMIST: The institutional evolutionary party

PRD, which last year saw Cuauhtemoc Cardenas elected mayor of Mexico city, is thrilled now to have won its first state governorship.

ECONOMIST: Coming of age in provincial Mexico

Another Mexican substitute, the 37-year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco, sealed the victory from the penalty spot after a third replacement, Pablo Barrera, had been felled in the box.

BBC: France 0-2 Mexico