MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s bid to return to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years runs through Estadio Azteca on Sunday, where El Tri will meet England in the Round of 16 with home support, altitude and history behind it.
Mexico has lost only two official matches at Azteca since the stadium opened in 1966, with the most recent defeat coming against Honduras in September 2013. Hugo Sánchez, a former Mexico striker, now an ESPN analyst, called the stadium “a monster” and said Mexico could beat England if it repeats the level it showed against Ecuador.
Mexico Has Won Four Straight Without Conceding At Azteca
Mexico has played 10 World Cup matches at Azteca across the 1970, 1986 and current tournaments on home soil, winning eight and drawing two. At this World Cup, it has won all three of its matches there without allowing a goal: 2-0 against South Africa, 3-0 against Czech Republic and 2-0 against Ecuador in the Round of 32.
El Tri also beat South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara during the group stage, making this the first time Mexico has opened a World Cup with four consecutive victories.
Coach Javier Aguirre stopped short of calling the England match the biggest in Mexico’s history, noting that the country also played major knockout games against Italy in 1970 and Germany in 1986. Still, he said Sunday’s match clearly belongs among Mexico’s most important World Cup occasions.
Aguirre Faces Another Round Of 16 Test
Mexico’s long wait has been shaped by repeated near misses. After reaching the quarterfinals in 1986, Mexico missed the 1990 World Cup, then suffered seven straight Round of 16 exits before failing to get out of the group stage in Qatar.
Aguirre has lived through part of that history. He coached Mexico at World Cups in Korea and South Africa and was an assistant under Miguel Mejía Barón when Mexico lost a penalty shootout to Bulgaria in 1994. Mexico also endured late heartbreaks against Germany in 1998 and the Netherlands in 2014 after giving up leads in the closing minutes.
“We will be facing a top-four team in the world according to FIFA, a world champion in ’66 and one country with a great league,” Aguirre said. He added that Mexico will need a nearly perfect match and must improve on what it has already shown.
Midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo said England’s pedigree and the Round of 16 setting are exactly the kind of test Mexico wanted, while also pointing to Azteca as an intimidating venue.
England Arrives With Kane, Tuchel And Altitude Questions
England comes into the knockout match after a 2-1 win over Congo, powered by two goals from Harry Kane. Kane leads a squad that reached the quarterfinals at the last World Cup before losing to eventual finalist France.
Thomas Tuchel said England’s players are used to demanding atmospheres through Champions League experience and expect Mexico to start with intensity. England’s squad is filled with players from major clubs and leagues, while Mexico’s attack is led by Julián Quiñones, the top scorer in the Saudi League.
The conditions may narrow the gap. Estadio Azteca sits about 7,300 feet, or 2,200 meters, above sea level, and England arrived in the northern part of Mexico City on Friday night, roughly 48 hours before kickoff.
Tuchel acknowledged the altitude immediately, saying he felt a slight headache and did not sleep as well as before, while adding that England cannot physically adapt in such a short window. He said the goal was at least to experience the conditions before warm-ups rather than for the first time on match day.
Hundreds of Mexican fans are expected near England’s hotel in an attempt to disrupt sleep, a tactic used before the Ecuador match with loudspeakers, drums and revving motorcycles. Tuchel said FIFA had handled the situation around the hotel, security was in place and England expected a good night of sleep.