England play Mexico on July 6th at 1am. This will be difficult to stay up for as it is way past my bedtime but something is telling me that I want to see it.
The last time England played in the Azteca Stadium was 22 June 1986. It was the infamous Hand of God goal and four minutes later the Goal of the Century match. Both scored by Diego Maradona.
1986 four years after the Falklands War and revenge time for Argentina. Azteca Stadium 7220 ft above sea level. Argentina v England, World Cup Quarter Final. England lost 2-1.
Argentina went on to win the World Cup that year beating W. Germany 3-2 in the final in the same stadium.
Mexico will have a massive advantage over England on 6th July because of the altitude. Mexico have a record of 70 wins from 89 games, 17 draws and 2 defeats played in that stadium. Their home stadium.
Get some breathing practice in England, a bit of yoga and a bit of mouth breathing, you only have three days to do it. You are excused and breathing with your mouths open is allowed. All of European footballers, past and present, say it is hard to go to play there at that altitude. It can trouble the goalkeeper as well as the outfield players. The ball speed can be difficult to judge and the flight may be faster in the thin air.
Will England win there? I doubt it. But you never know. God may be on our side this time.
Monday, 6th July 1am or for us what might better be described as very late on Sunday night. And by Monday morning on the way to work everybody will know the result. Pubs are now scrambling to get a temporary extended opening hours licence to show the match. Some local authorities are not being co-operative though.
Extra: Friday
The government is bringing in emergency legislation to allow pubs to stay open for the duration of the match.
Baroness Jacqui Smith, Skills Minister, disagrees with Tuchel who is calling for all school children to watch the game. She says their skills for life will be better fed by being in school on time for education.
You could go to bed early Sunday evening say 8ish and get up to watch it? I won't watch it but will know the result by Monday morning. I had no idea England won their game yesterday as nobody cheered around here. Either they don't support England or stayed out at the pub. I do think it would be good for England to win the match as it would be good for the morale of the country. Sending you positive vibes and a very happy day in Norfolk Rachel! x
ReplyDeleteThanks for your positive vibes Simone! I will just have to see how I feel on Sunday night. Was your own house quiet last night|?? I look forward to the match but I don't envy the players having to adjust to the altitude so quickly. xx
DeleteHusband was in the other room watching it on the telly. I think I heard him shout out once and when it was over he came to tell me England had won. He couldn't watch it fully as he had to attend the school's prom! He is a teacher and went to say goodbye to his pupils that have now left.
DeletePhew, I thought you might be living alone, I was worried. Xx
DeleteThank you for worrying about me Rachel! I worry about you too. x
DeleteI simply can't imagine God taking sides in any sports event :-)
ReplyDeleteMy sister has taken Monday off work so that she can stay up the night and watch the match. I have to get up at 5:20 on Monday morning, so even if I was interested in the match, I would find it impossible to stay up - I'm too old for an all-nighter and then be good for work the next day!
Your sister sounds very unusual for a German in that she would wish to watch England and change her work schedule to do so. Still, who am I to say.
DeleteI like my sleep routine so I think I will not watch the match live.
My sister has close ties to England, almost like myself. She used to work for Bosch in Denham and lived there and in Watford for a while in the 1990s. Yorkshire appeared on her personal map only when I got together with Steve.
DeleteUnderstood. Thank you.
DeleteI am not a bit interested in football, and will be in bed, but might not be able to sleep as there is a pub about 200 yards from here that has a massive screen in their large garden. On previous England match dates. there is a great shout goes up from the watchers when England score! I could hope that England get no goals, but that would be rather unpleasant of me!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a peaceful night Frances but that England score! I like my sleep too much to stay up until 3am and wreck myself. I have just written a post about the Tour de France so it is a summer of sport! Rachel xx
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