Unlike Ecuador: The police armor that protected England in CDMX
The Mexican fans received the English at their hotel in the west of the city with boos and shouts of “Mexico, Mexico” amidst great uproar.
It was not the best welcome for England. Hundreds of local fans gathered near their hotel in Santa Fe, southwest of Mexico City, to boo the team and try to provoke them with the classic cry of “Mexico, Mexico.”
Unlike what happened with Ecuador—whose team complained about the lack of police support in the face of the chaos generated by the fans' serenades—the capital authorities implemented a strict security device. The police cordon shielded the British and only allowed the noisy Mexican fans to have visual contact with the players for a few minutes.
The transfer of the Europeans was extremely efficient. After landing at the Toluca Airport, the contingent took less than an hour to arrive at their luxurious concentration hotel. A drastic contrast with the odyssey of the Ecuadorian team, which upon arriving at Felipe Ángeles Airport (AIFA) had to cross the metropolis in a journey of almost three hours.
The team led by German Thomas Tuchel flew from Kansas City, United States, where they established their preparation bunker. This Saturday, the English will move to La Cantera to train at the UNAM Pumas facilities, a venue strategically chosen to avoid tactical espionage ahead of the duel against Tricolor.
Upon arrival at the hotel, figures of the stature of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka could be seen. England reaches the round of 16 after a dramatic 2-1 victory in the previous round against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a double from Kane buried the dream of the African surprise.
The “Three Lions” team qualified in this instance as the undefeated leader of Group L with seven points, after beating Croatia 4-2, Panama 2-0 and drawing goalless against Ghana, where the English press questioned the English team very harshly.
The record greatly favors England with six wins to only two for Mexico and one draw in nine official duels. However, the English team has not beaten Tri in the Coloso de Santa Úrsula for more than four decades; Their last loss there was 1-0 in 1985, a year before the iconic World Cup tournament in Mexico 86.