There were likely a few fallen soldiers as a result of the hour-long delay to kick-off for a World Cup round-of-32 match that many England supporters had in their sights long before the tournament got underway.
Mexico vs Ecuador was a highly anticipated tie as the Group A winners and co-hosts faced a dangerous South American side that claimed some huge scalps in qualifying.
The result was very hard to call but something that is rarely relevant at a World Cup finals was very relevant here, perhaps more relevant than ever: home advantage.
Mexico are very difficult to beat at the Azteca. They have never lost in tournament football at their home stadium in Mexico City and their only competitive defeats there have come in World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica in 2001 and, more surprisingly, Honduras in 2013.
The Azteca is a high-altitude, highly intimidating arena and gives them a significant advantage against any opposition.
It has already proven pivotal to a very average Mexico side at the 2026 World Cup. This is one of the weakest Mexican teams in the nation’s history, but you would not think so after three wins to nil against South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic.
Quietening the Azteca crowd was always going to be imperative for Ecuador, as it will be for any team at this summer’s World Cup. It genuinely is a 12th man for a group of players who need it, thrive off it and take full advantage of it.
It had already done strange things to Mexico’s group opponents and was doing strange things to a solid Ecuador team from the first whistle.
Mexico’s players were quickly finding spaces that a robust Ecuadorian structure does not usually allow and the ‘away’ side were forced to weather the mother of all storms – after waiting an hour because of an actual storm – in the opening exchanges.
When Raul Jimenez missed a glorious headed chance early on, the ground was shaking and there was a genuine fear, watching from afar, that the stadium might not survive a Mexican goal.
Any goal was bound to produce bedlam, but the strike that put Mexico ahead in the 22nd minute was an absolute humdinger from Julian Quinones and the scenes were extraordinary.
Ecuador were ripped apart on the counter as Quinones held his line by remaining in his own half when the ball was played, and his front-post rocket was one of those rare finishes you simply cannot criticise the goalkeeper for failing to save from a seemingly advantageous position.
England fans would have been hoping Ecuador’s quality would eventually shine through, but Mexico were buoyed by a raucous home support and took a 2-0 lead in the ‘second quarter’ through Raul Jimenez. Another lovely finish, too.
For what it’s worth, Ecuador at the Azteca would have been a slog for Thomas Tuchel’s side as well. If any other team are going to be unbothered by the altitude, it’s probably them.
But the altitude was not the problem on Wednesday morning; the sheer intensity of the Mexican crowd and players was. It is crazy what home support like this can do to a player. They press harder, run faster, win more duels and compete with greater intensity.
Ecuador never settled and, while they are not on the same level as England, you could argue they are better equipped to deal with everything thrown at them in Mexico City. You know, as South Americans.
England fans knew about the Azteca intimidation factor before Mexico’s 2-0 win over Ecuador, but the ease with which they dismantled one of South America’s best sides should be a wake-up call to anyone who thought England’s superiority on paper would be enough, if the highly anticipated last-16 tie does happen.
While Wednesday’s match should be all about Mexico’s incredible performance and deserved victory, it is far from presumptuous to talk about the context of a potential Mexico vs England last-16 clash at the Azteca.
That fixture was one of the eye-catching possibilities the moment the draw was made, though England still have to beat DR Congo – something that is far from a given, especially after seeing what happened to Germany against Paraguay.
DR Congo are another robust, defensively organised side who will cause England problems, just as their African counterparts Ghana did for 90 minutes and Panama managed for an hour in the group stage.
It is a match-up that does not favour an England side that clearly struggles against low blocks with enough quality to stay compact and hurt them on the counter.
Mexico at the Azteca will be a nightmare for England – if they first see off Yoane Wissa and company – and so will the domino effect of that fixture if the Three Lions pull off an upset – and it would be an upset – to leave Mexico City as World Cup quarter-finalists.
It would be a match that takes absolutely everything out of a group of players who have never experienced anything like facing Mexico at their fortress in the heat and altitude that have now helped overwhelm South Africa, South Korea, the Czech Republic and Ecuador.
The Mexicans have still only lost two competitive matches at the Azteca since the stadium opened in 1966, and their tournament record there now stands at 23 wins, four draws and zero defeats.
The England camp cannot think about Mexico while DR Congo still stand in front of them, but the prospect of that tie will undoubtedly already be lingering in the back of a few minds.
They will cross that bridge if and when they come to it and, if England are victorious against Mexico, they will have another challenge immediately afterwards: recovering from the physical and mental toll before adapting once again to completely different conditions in Miami.
Suddenly, the odds feel stacked against England bringing football ‘home’. They knew Mexico at the Azteca was going to be a monumental challenge before this statement win over Ecuador.
Now, you can make a compelling argument that England would go into that tie as the underdogs.
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