BENGALURU: You know those football stories you have read as a child? The ones that made you feel all the feels at 2:00 AM on a random weekday? Among football worshippers, the Estadio Azteca has a prominent place in those stories.
The majestic, almost mythical Stadium has a permanent place in the sport's history books. It has done unexplainable things to footballers and fans alike. It stands as a monument to something bigger than just a Stadium. It has a soul. And this soul is never more alive than when Mexico play there. In the last 57 years, El Tri have lost two competitive fixtures (70 wins and 17 draws) at the Azteca. At the ongoing World Cup, the co-hosts have won thrice and are yet to concede a goal in the 80,000+ seater. It is here that England will play on Sunday night. Their road to NYNJ on July 19 passes through Mexico City. It could very easily end there.
Why is it such a challenge to play Mexico at the Azteca?
There's the obvious home advantage, a soundtrack of nearly a lakh fans creating an unimaginable din. This festival of noise begins as the team lands. When Ecuador was there for their round of 32 encounter, residents resorted to a night of bursting crackers next to the team hotel to prevent the opposition players from sleeping (the Ecuador federation even complained to FIFA but the deed had been done). They also kept revving their automobile engines to ensure the opposition players stayed up. Hours later, Mexico finished the game as a contest in the first half.
The England team, who reached Mexico City on Friday, are so prepared for these antics that some unconfirmed reports suggested they have booked as many as 14 decoy hotels in the hope of a good night's sleep. They have also asked for layers of security around the team hotel to stop Mexican fans from entering the hotel perimeter. It's a place where noise-cancelling headphones are sold without any guarantee to cancel any noise.
There's also the part of acclimatising, something England have no chance of doing in the limited time they have there. This will truly be one of England's greatest challenges between now and when the whistle blows to begin the first half. The Azteca sits at an altitude of over 2,240 metres above sea level and all available evidence suggests that England will struggle physically. They could have landed hours before the game to try and fool the body into playing the game before the effects of altitude start to hit the body, but FIFA rules effectively prevented that from happening (all teams ought to land in the next venue at least two days before their assignment).
At that level, the air is thinner, recovery is slower and the body has to work more to do the same things. A sprint will lead to quicker energy depletion than in the game against DR Congo at Atlanta (320m above sea level). The Mexicans will face the same thing, but they are used to these conditions.
All of this is before the actual football part where the co-hosts have truly excelled. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez have complemented each other in attack, the teenager, Gilberto Mora, is truly one of the next stars of the global game, while Raul Rangel is one of the few keepers to have kept four clean sheets. On the other hand, their opponents are battling a number of fitness concerns and look disjointed with just one meaningful half of football in four matches.
Just for these reasons alone, an England win at the Azteca would rank as one of its greatest ever in terms of results in their modern history. There's also the weight of World Cup history. The last time they played at the Azteca, Diego Maradona produced both the Hand of God as well as Goal of the Century to help Argentina beat England 2-1.
40 years on, what will the Azteca's latest chapter say?