Mexico – England

The Mexicans won't perform worse than their star opponents.

There were many unpleasant and even scandalous stories surrounding the Round of 16 clash between Mexico and England. Mexican fans organized a real hunt for the team's mental and physical condition. The English tried to hide their location on Mexican soil, but couldn't hide it completely. On the night before the showdown, local fans made quite a racket under the windows of the "Three Lions". This strategy by the Mexicans clearly demonstrated its effectiveness ahead of the Round of 32, when the Ecuadorians took the field exhausted and sleep-deprived. On the other hand, the Mexican national team performed so well at the World Cup that, even from a purely sporting point of view, they seemed to match their star opponents. The Aztecs cruised through the group stage. South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic fell to the Mexicans in turn. Only the Asian team had real chances to take points from the hosts, but it was a bit unlucky. As in the group stage and in the first round of the knockout, the Mexicans did not concede a single goal. In the Round of 16 they beat Ecuador, who offered no resistance at all. The England team began the tournament in North America with a bright victory over Croatia. The style in which the English dealt with their opponents immediately elevated them to the status of the second favorites to win the title. However, the next three matches reminded English fans of Gareth Southgate's era so much that many were driven to nausea. A 0-0 draw with Ghana, and a 2-0 win over Panama in a lackluster display also influenced bookmakers, who immediately downgraded England's chances in the World Cup rankings. The first round of the playoffs almost turned into a loud fiasco for Thomas Tuchel and his players. The English managed to fall behind DR Congo until the final quarter of the match. The genius of Harry Kane saved this team from eternal shame. Against the Mexicans on their home turf, one genius footballer will not be enough. It seems that the unrestrained energy of the home team is capable of sweeping the star-studded yet clumsy English side off the field.