Soccer
Mexico boss Javier Aguirre described Harry Kane as “world-class” and said his team would need to be at their best to stop the England captain in their last 16 showdown.
Co-hosts Mexico welcome England to the iconic Mexico City Stadium for a spot in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, where they will face either Norway or Brazil.
Mexico have won all four of their matches at this year’s World Cup, already their most victories in a single edition, with their latest coming in a 2-0 triumph over Ecuador.
And Thomas Tuchel’s side booked their spot in the last 16 after coming from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1, with two late goals from Kane ensuring they would advance.
Kane has scored 10 goals across his 11 major tournament (World Cup/EURO) knockout stage appearances since Euro 2020, which is the joint-most among European players in that period, alongside Kylian Mbappe.
He also became the first England player to score a brace in a World Cup knockout stage match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-finals, while he has five goals at this year’s tournament, two behind Lionel Messi and Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
The Bayern Munich striker has netted four headed goals at the World Cup, with three of those coming so far at this year’s tournament. Only Miroslav Klose (seven) and Gerd Muller (five) have netted more headers in the competition on record than Kane (since 1966).
“They are a very powerful side physically, but they also play good football,” Aguirre said. “Harry Kane is a world-class figure.
“The goals he scored at Tottenham, the goals he scores at Bayern, and the goals he scores for his national team are those of a top, top player in the world.
“We will try to make sure he is not comfortable on the pitch when he drops to receive, that there is always someone on him so he cannot create play.”
This is just the second World Cup meeting between Mexico and England, with the Three Lions winning a group stage match 2-0 in 1966 en route to winning the trophy.
But Aguirre’s side are playing at a stadium they never lost a World Cup match at (W8 D2), winning the last six in a row. This will be the 11th time they have played there in FIFA’s flagship competition, which will make it the most games played at one venue by a team in the competition’s history.
The game will also be played at altitude, with the Mexico City Stadium sitting 7,220 feet above sea level, but Aguirre is not paying any attention to those factors.
“English players, historically speaking, are pretty nimble and fast,” Aguirre added.
“They have major players who play both inside and outside the country, so they’re powerful, physically speaking. They have great players.
“I remember ever since [Gareth] Southgate, their style has changed. [Thomas] Tuchel has kept that going with his own nuances and ideas, and they play in two different ways.
“In the past, they were really fast, and they caused trouble with long, wide passes, and second balls and long transitions.
“Yes, they do that today, but they move to something different if it’s not working.
“As for the altitude? I don’t focus on that, it’s 11 vs. 11, the referee is there, so I don’t think about things like that. We’re both going to try and score in each other’s nets.”
Read MoreSoccerNews Editorial Team