Harry Kane fears England have no time to adapt to the unfair conditions they will face when they meet World Cup co-hosts Mexico in their last 16 knockout clash. The Three Lions captain rescued his side from the brink of disaster against DR Congo last night with two goals that etched his name further into the record books.
Kane's Heroics Against DR Congo
Thomas Tuchel's side looked to be on the brink of elimination with 15 minutes remaining, still trailing to Brian Kibambe Cipenga's shock early goal. It was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man yet again, however, as Kane struck twice in the closing stages to secure a famous comeback win.
England's attention will now quickly turn to their next game against a Mexico side who already have the benefit of home advantage in their favour.
The Azteca Stadium: A Formidable Fortress
The legendary Azteca stadium has been a graveyard for international opponents in the past with Mexico having lost only two out of 89 competitive matches at a venue that hosted the iconic World Cup finals of 1970 and 1986. Moreover, the enormous 87,000 capacity arena sits at an altitude of approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, representing conditions that England's players have little to no experience of.
“My understanding is we cannot adapt to the altitude,” said Kane after his latest goalscoring heroics. “It's a huge advantage Mexico have. There's not enough time. We knew that before. It's just a disadvantage with which we will have to deal.”
Tuchel Echoes Concerns
Those sentiments were echoed by Tuchel whose side only have three days to recover from their exploits against DR Congo. “The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it,” said the England manager. “It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between these matches. It's physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude.”
Research suggests athletes competing at high altitude should spend a week or two living at that level in order to allow their body to acclimatise and generate more red blood cells. “That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have,” added Tuchel, whose squad is due to arrive in Mexico City two days before the game. “More obstacles may come, but we are ready for that. This is just something with which we will have to deal. And I think we showed the attitude that we are ready for that.”
