England defy the odds in Mexico

Heading into England’s last-16 World Cup tie with Mexico, I was optimistic, but I certainly wasn’t confident and there were plenty of reasons to be concerned. 

England were travelling to one of the most iconic stadiums in world football, playing against one of the tournament hosts in front of a partisan crowd of over 80,000, all while dealing with the unique challenge of playing more than 2,200 metres above sea level. 

The thinner air at the Azteca had been one of the biggest talking points in the build-up, with Thomas Tuchel even describing it as a huge advantage for Mexico. 

Research has shown that intense running becomes more difficult and players recover more slowly in those conditions, so England knew they weren’t just facing eleven men in green, they were also battling the environment itself. 

The hydration breaks were a huge talking point before the tournament, but England were certainly grateful for them in this game.

Then there was Mexico’s record… They had only lost two competitive matches at the Azteca in the last 56 years, making it one of the toughest places in international football to go and win. 

When you throw all of that together, it was easy to see why so many people thought England’s World Cup journey could come to an end.

Instead, England produced what I genuinely believe is one of the best World Cup performances I’ve ever seen from the Three Lions, certainly in my lifetime.

This wasn’t a smash and grab victory where we rode our luck, England went toe-to-toe with one of the hosts in their own backyard and played with confidence, bravery and quality. 

For large spells we controlled the game, moved the ball brilliantly and looked like a team that truly believes it can win this tournament.

Jude Bellingham seems to be writing his own script at this World Cup as every time England have needed someone to step up, he’s been there. 

I’ve spoken about him in almost every column so far, but it’s becoming impossible not to. 

At just 22 years old, he already plays with the authority of someone who’s been around for a decade.

Harry Kane also deserves enormous credit; whether he’s scoring goals or bringing others into play, his leadership continues to shine through, particularly in the biggest moments. 

That’s exactly why Tuchel has put his faith in the experienced players within the squad. 

He was heavily criticsed for not squaring the ball the Raheem Sterling in the 2018 World Cup Semi-Final, well, eight years later, he finally squared it for Bellingham’s second goal!

What impressed me most, though, was England’s mentality, even after being pegged back twice and losing Quansah to a red card. 

We’ve often criticised England teams of the past for freezing on the biggest stage or failing to cope when the pressure is at its highest. 

There was none of that here. Even with the crowd roaring Mexico on and the conditions making every sprint that little bit harder, England never looked intimidated. 

Altitude this, altitude that, the Three Lions roared and Mexico had absolutely no answer.

If anything, they looked as though they were enjoying the occasion, which is a huge compliment to Tuchel and his coaching staff. 

Earlier in the tournament I questioned some of his squad selection, and I still don’t agree with every decision he’s made, but he deserves enormous praise for the mentality he’s instilled into this group. 

They look united, organised and, perhaps most importantly, they look like a team rather than a collection of talented individuals. 

There wasn’t a bad performance on the pitch, even the substitute cameos from the likes of Stones and Burn were sensational.

The reward for that victory is a quarter-final against Norway on Saturday and it would be easy to underestimate them because they don’t carry the same reputation as some of Europe’s traditional heavyweights, but they certainly aren’t there by accident. 

Knocking Brazil out of the World Cup tells you everything you need to know about the threat they’ll pose, and England will need to reach the same levels they produced against Mexico if they want to keep this run going.

We’ve all heard the phrase that you don’t win the World Cup in the group stages, and perhaps that’s exactly what we were seeing from England. 

They were finding ways to get through, conserving energy where they could and waiting for the knockout rounds before really hitting their stride, the best teams peak at the right times.

England have just beaten one of the hosts at the Azteca, in conditions that were stacked against them, and they’ve done it by playing some outstanding football. 

If they can produce another performance like that against Norway, who knows where this team could end up.