England manager Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged his side will have to “overcome obstacles” in their World Cup clash against Mexico, but captain Harry Kane hopes to reward fans who stay up late with an excuse to pull an all-nighter.
England’s game will kick-off at 1am Monday morning UK time after governing body Fifa opted not to go ahead with a proposal to move the game forward six hours to avoid disruption from forecast thunderstorms in Mexico City.
Altitude and Hostile Crowd
Lightning is not the only hazard which could strike the Three Lions’ World Cup hopes – co-hosts Mexico have lost only two of their 89 competitive games at the Estadio Azteca, which lies more than 2,200 metres above sea level. England have not had an opportunity to acclimatise to the altitude, while Mexico supporters used loud speakers, horns and motorcycles to try to disturb the sleep of Ecuador’s players before their last-32 tie.
In a bid to avoid a repeat of that situation, which led to Ecuador submitting a complaint to Fifa, 500 police officers were in attendance according to local government sources, with multiple road closures around the hotel where England were staying on Saturday night. A few Mexico fans with drums were ushered away by police during the night and the cordon was pushed further and further away from hotel.
Tuchel’s Confidence
Despite those challenges, Tuchel insists his squad and backroom staff will remain calm. “When you are inside of the bubble, it is actually quite calm, quite focused,” said Tuchel, who laughed off suggestions Viagra might be used to mitigate the effects of the altitude. “Altitude: it is what it is. Home crowd: it is what it is. It is not in our favour. We need to overcome obstacles, but we have the spirit, we have the commitment, the pure will and the glue between the team to overcome these things.”
Ambassador’s Advice
The UK’s ambassador to Mexico, Susannah Goshko, urged England supporters to read Foreign Office travel advice, remain aware of their surroundings and follow instructions from local authorities while in Mexico City. Speaking to the Press Association on Saturday, Goshko said authorities had put “a lot of thought” into preparations and insisted “the vast majority of people are determined to just really enjoy the game”. She said supporters should see the occasion as a celebration of the strong football links between the two countries. “What England fans can expect is a huge amount of enthusiasm and some gentle ribbing in a really nice way.”
Security Measures
Mexican authorities said there will be 17,000 police officers on duty on Sunday, according to The New York Times.
Kane’s Hopes
England captain Kane said he hopes his side can provide the perfect antidote for Monday morning blues by reaching the World Cup quarter-finals. “Obviously it’s good news that the pubs are staying open for the fans,” he said. “We know how much the World Cup means to everyone and all the fans at home, so I’m hoping there will be a few all-nighters to be honest, just going all the way through and celebrating until the next day and then catch up on some sleep after that. I think everyone would love nothing more than to be celebrating as the sun’s rising at 5 or 6am.”
Prime Minister’s Support
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who earlier this week announced pubs would be able to stay open until 5am to show the game, predicted supporters would stay up through the night to watch the “big game”. He said: “Mexico are a tough side to beat but we have a squad that knows what it takes to win. After the false hope of an earlier night, I know fans across the country will be staying up late to get behind the England team. And thanks to our change to pub licensing, they will be able to do that at their local, all through the early hours. Come on England!”
Fan Perspectives
Speaking about England’s chances for Sunday’s game, Geoff Bunn, 58, from Yarm in North Yorkshire, described it as a “50/50” contest. He told the Press Association: “I think if it was a normal stadium and it wasn’t an away game, I think we’d probably be favourites, but not with this altitude.” His friend Colin Fawcett, 59, also from Yarm, said he was more positive. “There’ll come a match where we turn it on and I think it could be tomorrow, because they’ll have to come at us a bit more than some of the other teams have, and I think we’re better when it’s open,” he said.
