Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – England face Mexico in a World Cup blockbuster at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday while Erling Haaland and Norway bid to ambush Brazil as the battle for quarter-final places heats up. A day after France and Morocco sealed their places in the last eight of the tournament, two more spots are up for grabs in round-of-16 duels in Mexico City and New Jersey.
England’s encounter with Mexico has been one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, with the Three Lions returning to the Azteca 40 years after their iconic ‘Hand of God’ game against Argentina at the 1986 World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s side have stumbled into the last 16, needing a late double from captain Harry Kane to secure a 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo to advance to Sunday’s game. England entered the World Cup with dreams of ending the country’s 60-year wait for a major title. But the English have failed to live up to their billing so far, struggling through the group phase before squeezing past DR Congo.
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England will also need to overcome the challenge of altitude, with the Azteca sitting some 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level. “The altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It’s just impossible,” England boss Tuchel said before the team’s departure for Mexico City. After visiting the Azteca on Saturday, Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference: “It just catches you straight away once you get in here and see the excitement and see the emotions. I felt straight away that this will be a proper World Cup match for tomorrow. We knew it before. We are in an iconic place, an iconic stadium,” Tuchel added.
Tuchel is also grappling with the issue of how to shore up England’s porous defence, which has looked vulnerable to pace, especially down the problematic right flank. Mexico, by contrast, are flying. El Tri have won all four games on home soil, without conceding a goal. A 2-0 victory over Ecuador secured their first knockout win at the World Cup for 40 years, and more history beckons if England can be eliminated in front of an expectant home crowd.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre on Saturday questioned whether the altitude would be a factor, insisting the game would come down to a contest of “11 v 11”. The 67-year-old told reporters his team would have to play a “near-perfect match” to beat England, who are fourth in the FIFA rankings to Mexico’s tenth place. “They have major players who play both inside and outside the country,” he said. “They’re pretty powerful, physically speaking, and they’re great players.”
Sunday’s game is due to kick off at 6:00pm local time (0000 GMT). FIFA on Friday reportedly considered bringing the start time forward to avoid thunderstorms due at kick-off before confirming the game would stay at the scheduled time. The winner on Sunday will face a quarter-final in Miami against Norway or Brazil, who meet at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti cut a relaxed figure on Saturday as he discussed how his team planned to tackle Norway’s in-form striker, Manchester City forward Haaland, who has scored five goals in three appearances at the tournament so far. Haaland will line up against a familiar opponent, Gabriel Magalhaes, who plays for City’s Premier League rivals Arsenal. Brazil’s other central defender, Marquinhos, has also faced Haaland while on duty for Paris Saint-Germain. “Everyone knows how he works,” Ancelotti said of Haaland. “I have nothing to explain to my defenders how to play against him. They’ve obviously played against him several times.”
Norway coach Stale Solbakken, meanwhile, has urged his team to focus on their opponents rather than the size of the occasion as they take on the five-time world champions. “We need to make sure that we don’t play according to the occasion, but that we simply play the match,” Solbakken said Saturday. “Obviously, Brazil is the favourite, but I also said that I don’t think they are big favourites, which they maybe had been some years ago, or two, three, four years ago.”
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