‘As long as they bring it home’: Fans prepare for late night as England v Mexico delayed
It may be early on a Monday morning, but for England fans all thoughts of sleep lie at the end of a long, tense night.
England will face their toughest test of the World Cup so far when they take on hosts Mexico at the fearsome Azteca. The Three Lions are returning to Latin America’s biggest stadium for the first time since being knocked out of the 1986 World Cup by Maradona’s Argentina, and the stakes are high.
Hundreds of caffeinated and jubilant fans at the Clapham Grand in south-west London shrugged off their sleeping hours and reset their body clocks to cheer on Thomas Tuchel’s team despite a later-than-expected 2am kick-off. To talk IndependentFans were in high spirits even though they were expected to arrive at the office at 8am.
As news of the delay broke, fans largely shrugged it off. “It’s going to mess up tomorrow, but overall it’s not that bad,” Aaron Andrews said.
“We’re all drunk anyway. As long as the kids bring it home, it’s okay.”
Predicting that Tuchel’s team would win 2-0, the official acknowledged that it would be “difficult” to play at high altitude but that the team had to be “fit and ready”.
Taylor Jones, 25, and Amy Knight, 26, said they had no doubt England would get the job done and backed Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to get on the scoresheet.
Much has been made of how Britain will cope with the altitude at Mexico City’s Azteca, which sits at 7,220 feet (2,240 m) above sea level. “The breathing thing is an issue,” Ms. Jones admitted. “But I think we’ll get through this.”
And although they are both expected to come into the office tomorrow, they said they think they can get by with just a few hours of sleep.
Annie Saunders, 30, and Becky Brown, 26, said they were “a little worried” about England’s chances on the famously scary ground.
“I think it will go to penalties,” Ms Brown said. “I really hope we’re good, but I think it could happen.”
Others said they felt the impact of altitude on Britain was “slightly exaggerated”. 30-year-old Connor Griffin predicted England would win 3-1, with help from Kane, Bellingham and Eze.
