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Are you not entertained? England survive full CONCACAF experience in Mexico
CONCACAF isn't just one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies. For those who know, CONCACAF is also a verb used to describe the qualities of international football played in North, Central America and the Caribbean.
It's a combination of over-the-top physicality, the dark arts, questionable officiating, adverse environmental conditions, "haram ball" and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win a match. The factors vary from game-to-game, with one or two coming to the forefront in often frustrating ways.
On Sunday night in Mexico City, England got the full CONCACAF experience and survived to tell the tale.
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The Three Lions made the pilgrimage to one of the world's great footballing venues, Estadio Azteca (known as Mexico City Stadium for the duration of this World Cup), to face co-hosts Mexico in a round of 16 encounter, and the occasion lived up to the billing.
El Tri came into Sunday night's match having won all of their games in this tournament without having given up a goal, and they were hoping to continue that magical run in the final match that would be held on Mexican soil in the competition regardless of the result. England were less dominant than their hosts in the lead-up to the last-16 meeting, but still showed their class at opportune times so far.
Regardless, as the higher-ranked side England were expected to overcome all the challenges and come out on top. And because this is CONCACAF, some of those challenges came well before the match kicked off.
First there was the altitude, with Mexico City sitting 2,240 m above sea level. The Mexican capital is the seventh-highest city in the world, and El Tri have reaped the benefits of that advantage as teams have struggled to acclimatize to the thin air.
Much of the pre-match talk in English media was about the altitude, and how little time the Three Lions would have to adjust after winning their round of 32 match in Atlanta against DR Congo just four days previous. By contrast, El Tri had played all four of their prior games in their home country and were very much used to performing at elevation.
Then, as the day of the match approached, talk turned to the weather as a heavy storm was forecasted for kick-off at Estadio Azteca, potentially causing delays.
A widely-reported solution to shift the game to noon local time, seven hours earlier than originally scheduled, was rejected by both the Mexican and English FAs. It turns out neither side were keen on losing out on precious hours of rest, and thus the evening kick-off was untouched — that is, until Mother Nature came through as promised and forced a one-hour postponement.
But before that could even happen, there was the night before the game. Fans throughout Latin America take pride in helping the teams in any way they can, and on Saturday night thousands of Mexican supporters were out in the late hours throwing a street party with the aim of disrupting the sleep of the visiting English players. There was loud music, revving car engines, fireworks and general mayhem on the streets near England's hotel — all standard fare in this part of the world.
Than came the actual match itself. The one-hour weather delay did little to dampen the mood in the stands nor the fight on the pitch as both sides seemed prepared for an old-school slugfest, with tactics tossed aside in favour of sheer will and force. Chippy play abounded, leading to penalties for each team and a red card for England right-back Jarell Quansah after one of the most ill-advised tackles you'll ever witness.
Goals were aplenty as well as the teams traded blows like it was a heavyweight bout, with England jumping out ot a 2-0 lead by the 38th minute before Mexico responded with their first goal in the 42nd. The Three Lions scored their third of the night on the hour mark, only for El Tri to punch back with a 69th-minute strike.
Even as England scored their third, and ultimately winning, goal, the Mexican fans would not let up as they showered the visitors with beer, water and whatever other liquids they had on hand simply for daring to celebrate near the corner.
Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
From then on out, England had to find a way to withstand the Mexican onslaught over the final 20 minutes. Down a man and with their lungs surely burning, Thomas Tuchel's men held on — somehow — against a Mexico team who threw everything they had at their visitors to find the equalizer.
The hosts ended with 23 shots to England's eight, indicative of the way the pitch was tilted in the second half, yet they had nothing to show for it at the end of normal time plus 11 minutes of stoppage.
"It was a crazy game," a hoarse England captain Harry Kane said in a post-match interview. "We had to fight. All the occasion, the team, everything against us. We found a way."
Led by Kane and the brilliant Jude Bellingham, England stepped into the famous cauldron of Mexico City and were introduced to CONCACAF at its finest.
And they lived to fight another day.
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