England survive Azteca battle with Mexico
- Timothy Belin
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Raquel Cunha/Reuters
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
England survived a draining battle against Mexico in the legendary Azteca Stadium.
After much pre-game discussion centred on the English players’ abilities to cope with the stadium’s high altitude, they made the job even harder with a red card before the hour mark. But a spirited defensive display ensured they held on to their lead for a dramatic 3-2 victory over the tournament’s co-hosts.
After kick-off was delayed by an hour due to local thunderstorms, Mexico started strongly in front of a raucous 80,000 home supporters. Jordan Pickford made his first big save of the night in the 15th minute, when Raul Jimenez connected with a cross. The header was powerfully directed towards the bottom corner, but the shotstopper’s quick reflexes were equal to it.
Despite the altitude’s impact on player fitness, the opening half-hour was a high-energy affair, with both teams enjoying spells of possession. Tensions also flared up on a couple of occasions as both teams sought the go-ahead goal.
The English have a saying that you wait a long time for your bus, and then two come at the same time. That’s what happened for them in the 36th and 38th minute, as out of nowhere the Three Lions took a 2-0 lead. Jude Bellingham twice got on the end of a cross, first from Bukayo Saka and then Harry Kane, to give the visitors a position to defend.
Play had barely restarted after the first goal when England won the ball back high upfield, sprung a quick move at goal that resulted in Bellingham’s brace. But the drama was far from over, as Mexico soon responded with a goal of their own.
In the 42nd minute, the hosts won a free-kick wide left of goal. Roberto Alvarado sent in a teasing free-kick that, despite coming off an English player, fell kindly for Julián Quiñones to volley into the roof of the net.
The atmosphere inside the Azteca, briefly silenced by Bellingham’s quickfire double, roared back to life with the goal. With minutes ebbing away in the first half, the Mexicans turned up the pressure in the search of a vital equalizer.
Jimenez went close once again in the first minute of stoppage time, but his half-volley dragged just wide of the post. The Wolves frontman got another crack at it two minutes later, bit his header was tipped brilliantly over the bar by an alert Pickford.
Bellingham then showed he’s more than a goalscorer by denying Mexico a gilt-edge chance. In the final minute of first-half stoppage time, the midfielder poked a ball away right in front of Cesar Montes, who was about to shoot at goal from point-blank range.
The excitement continued into the second-half, though with England regaining a foothold in the game. In the 49th minute, Nico O’Reilly sent a sweetly struck volley at goal only to see it cannon off the post.
Then, in the 53rd minute, everything changed.
Jarrell Quansah, back at right back after recovering from injury, had won the ball in a challenge with Jesus Gallardo according to the referee, but VAR had a word to say about it. Replays showed Quansah’s studs going over the ball and into Gallardo’s leg, making it a reckless tackle and clear red.
Mexico seemed to have all the momentum as a result of the sending off, with over half-an-hour left to play against an already tiring English team. That wasn’t counting for Kane, who did brilliantly to prolong a long ball into the path of Anthony Gordon which resulted in a penalty.
The newly-minted Barcelona man got to Kane’s knock down ahead of the Mexican keeper, who proceeded to catch his legs. It was a clear penalty, and Kane did what he does best and dispatched it past Raul Rangel despite the shotstopper diving in the right direction.
The English captain had restored his nation’s two-goal lead, but there was still 30 minutes plus stoppage time to hold onto it. And Kane soon turned into the villain as he gave up a penalty up the other end just seven minutes after scoring his own.
Looking to clear the ball after a Mexican attack, the Bayern Munich striker caught Brian Gutierrez’s leg instead. As with the red card, the referee did not initially make the call, but VAR had the last word. Jimenez, like Kane an expert penalty-taker, stepped up and reduced the game back to a single-goal deficit.
From there on out, it was all cooks to the kitchen for England.
Thomas Tuchel subbed on Dan Burn and Djed Spence to shore up the defence, and both contributed to keep Mexico at bay. The hosts repeatedly went wide and attempted crosses, but Spence on the left and Konsa on the right did well to limit their potential. When the ball did make it into the box, either Pickford punched it clear or the 6’7” Dan Burn headed it away from danger.
That does not mean there weren’t many close calls for England. In the 82nd minute, Santi Gimenez scooped a volley just over the bar after making a clever run. Two minutes later, Spence pulled off a likely-goal-saving tackle to block a shot in the box.
Pickford dealt impressively with the rest of what was thrown at him, but when 11 minutes of stoppage time went up on the assistant referee’s board, the atmosphere only grew. Burn had to make a block off an attempted bicycle kick in the sixth minute of that added time, and a minute leather Jimenez showed quick thinking to pull off an audacious backheeled-volley shot, only to see it clear the crossbar.
The final chance came after the stated minimum, as a ball into the box 12 minutes into added time fell at the back post. With multiple bodies trying to get a foot to it, John Stones got the crucial touch but in putting it out for a corner sent it millimeters wide of his own post.
Mexico sent Rangel up for the corner, and he stayed high as a second one was won on the opposite side. But when England cleared that one high up the field, the referee finally blew for full-time as the English players fell to the floor from exhaustion.
The resilient performance, only the third win by a visiting team at the Azteca, was exactly the kind that wins you titles. Now that they’ve survived that test, England might well believe this could finally be the year it comes home.
Before they get too far ahead of themselves, however, the Three Lions will have to face Erling Haaland and Norway in the quarter-finals. The game will take place at 5 p.m. Eastern July 11 at the Miami Stadium.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments