That’s Why This Shit Rules

Soccer is not usually the sort of sport that causes its players to lose their voices. And yet there was Harry Kane, minutes after his 10-man England squad escaped The Azteca with a 3-2 win over Mexico, nearly unable to complete his post-match interview due to the hoarseness of his voice. It was an unusual thing to see, but befitting of the game Kane had just played, which was so strange, so dramatic, that it was easy to imagine most everyone who watched or played in it being left speechless.

Too much is often made of the effects of home field advantage in sports, but soccer is one where, in certain circumstances, the environment and crowd can have a material influence over what happens on the field. There’s not really any other way to explain Mexico, a middling and often uninspiring international team in most circumstances, basically never losing when they play at The Azteca. It made sense, then, that so much of the pregame analysis was focused on how England would handle playing at altitude, in front of a ferocious crowd of 87,000, against a team that feels invincible whenever it steps into that particular stadium. I figured if England could make it to the first hydration break without wobbling too badly, they’d be in good position to slowly gain control of the match through their superior talent.

Everything went according to plan for England. An early header from Raúl Jiménez that seemed destined for the bottom corner was palmed away by Jordan Pickford, and suddenly a half-hour had passed without Mexico gaining too much of a foothold. And then, in the span of two minutes, it seemed that Jude Bellingham had singlehandedly removed The Azteca’s mystique. His head met a cross at the back post to make it 1-0 England in the 36th minute, and then in the 38th he was there to finish off a move that started with Mexico giving the ball away in its own end.