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HEADS FOR HEIGHTS
For Mexico City 1986, Saint-Étienne 1998 and Gelsenkirchen 2006, do not read Mexico City 2026. History told us England simply do not progress at the World Cup in adverse conditions. When the chips are down, the Three Lions crumble … Until now. So how apt it feels for England fans that, 40 years on from their luckless defeat by Argentina at the Azteca – Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and all that – their team found a way to triumph when it appeared everything was stacked against them. The word “altitude” was bandied round the media with a reckless abandon in the prelude to Mexico v England. Journalists trudged dutifully around Mexico City comparing 5k times to their parkrun PBs back home, in some vague attempt to illustrate how tough it would be for, you know, actual professional athletes. We were told this was the impossible job, a bridge too far in the cathedral of Mexican football against the GWC co-hosts who rarely lose there, and who came into the tie on a run of four successive wins at the tournament, no goals conceded.
Rip up the script and start again. Forget altitude, Thomas Tuchel’s team are all about attitude, exhibiting a spirit so rarely seen by England on the global stage. An hour’s delay to the kick-off, due to storms, further hampered England’s preparations at the Azteca (and kept everyone awake a little longer back in Blighty) before a wall of Mexican noise greeted them. It was hard to quibble with Jarell Quansah’s red card for a bad tackle, while the penalty awarded against Harry Kane, after a VAR intervention, could have been decisive. Tuchel lamented the officials in his post-match interview. But in real time he had some serious decisions to make, and boy did they pay off, as England dropped into a 5-3-1 formation, Tuchel trusting his troops to complete a defensive rearguard for the ages. It wasn’t quite against all odds, but it defied English tournament history. The last time an England player was sent off in the World Cup was Wayne Rooney in 2006 against Portugal. The time before was David Beckham v Argentina in 1998. Remember how they ended? Course you do.
At the heart of this lionhearted performance was Jude Bellingham, whose two first-half goals set the night in motion, before he turned into a defensive and mentality monster as England battled to see it out with 10 men. Anthony Gordon had his best game in an England shirt, making a mockery of those – Football Daily included – who queried his transfer to Barcelona, while a special mention must go to Dan Burn, ushered on to head, hoof and hack the ball away from goal, sticking to his task so diligently that he willingly put his head in front of a Raúl Jiménez bicycle kick from a yard away. In Bellingham it’s clear England have a young leader who brings inspiration on the pitch but also to fans back home. This is a 23-year-old from Stourbridge who is undaunted on football’s biggest stages, living out the dreams of supporters, and who was very on-message when he cheekily told those watching in the wee hours of the morning back home to “have another shot” and text their bosses to skip work. Dear England fans: whether you’re on the clock today or not, please find time to drink in this epic victory.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
More last-16 action ahoy! Join Scott Murray at 8pm BST/3pm EDT for Portugal 1-2 Spain, then Beau Dure will be on hand at 1am BST/8pm EDT for USA USA USA 3-2 Belgium.
How do you do fellow kids? Yes, there’s now a TikBook account with all things of a Big Website sporting focus. So, if you’re there, you know what to do.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I didn’t know that 5 July was equal to 1 April at Fifa. The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not defend the national team – it defends football in general. It defends its integrity. It defends its ethics” – a seething Rudi Garcia responds to Fifa’s decision to “suspend” Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, meaning the USA USA USA striker is available for their last-16 clash. Donald Trump, incidentally, made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure the change was made. “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” he posted on his social media disgrace, while Uefa offered its own interpretation: “Yesterday’s decision … crossed a red line. Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.”
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I trust that as I write and, as his last patriotic act as prime minister, Keir Starmer is having high-level discussions with Gianni Infantino to have Jarell Quansah’s red card rescinded before the game with Norway on Saturday? ‘Special relationship’ and all that” – Stevie Ewens (and 1,056 others).
Hands up those who would love to have watched Paraguay v Uruguay as the GWC final” – Tim Diggles.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Double rollover! Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
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