www.silverguide.site –

HEADS FOR HEIGHTS

For Mexico City 1986, Saint-Étienne 1998 and Gelsenkirchen 2006, do not read Mexico City 2026. History told us England simply do not progress at the World Cup in adverse conditions. When the chips are down, the Three Lions crumble … Until now. So how apt it feels for England fans that, 40 years on from their luckless defeat by Argentina at the Azteca – Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and all that – their team found a way to triumph when it appeared everything was stacked against them. The word “altitude” was bandied round the media with a reckless abandon in the prelude to Mexico v England. Journalists trudged dutifully around Mexico City comparing 5k times to their parkrun PBs back home, in some vague attempt to illustrate how tough it would be for, you know, actual professional athletes. We were told this was the impossible job, a bridge too far in the cathedral of Mexican football against the GWC co-hosts who rarely lose there, and who came into the tie on a run of four successive wins at the tournament, no goals conceded.

Rip up the script and start again. Forget altitude, Thomas Tuchel’s team are all about attitude, exhibiting a spirit so rarely seen by England on the global stage. An hour’s delay to the kick-off, due to storms, further hampered England’s preparations at the Azteca (and kept everyone awake a little longer back in Blighty) before a wall of Mexican noise greeted them. It was hard to quibble with Jarell Quansah’s red card for a bad tackle, while the penalty awarded against Harry Kane, after a VAR intervention, could have been decisive. Tuchel lamented the officials in his post-match interview. But in real time he had some serious decisions to make, and boy did they pay off, as England dropped into a 5-3-1 formation, Tuchel trusting his troops to complete a defensive rearguard for the ages. It wasn’t quite against all odds, but it defied English tournament history. The last time an England player was sent off in the World Cup was Wayne Rooney in 2006 against Portugal. The time before was David Beckham v Argentina in 1998. Remember how they ended? Course you do.

At the heart of this lionhearted performance was Jude Bellingham, whose two first-half goals set the night in motion, before he turned into a defensive and mentality monster as England battled to see it out with 10 men. Anthony Gordon had his best game in an England shirt, making a mockery of those – Football Daily included – who queried his transfer to Barcelona, while a special mention must go to Dan Burn, ushered on to head, hoof and hack the ball away from goal, sticking to his task so diligently that he willingly put his head in front of a Raúl Jiménez bicycle kick from a yard away. In Bellingham it’s clear England have a young leader who brings inspiration on the pitch but also to fans back home. This is a 23-year-old from Stourbridge who is undaunted on football’s biggest stages, living out the dreams of supporters, and who was very on-message when he cheekily told those watching in the wee hours of the morning back home to “have another shot” and text their bosses to skip work. Dear England fans: whether you’re on the clock today or not, please find time to drink in this epic victory.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

More last-16 action ahoy! Join Scott Murray at 8pm BST/3pm EDT for Portugal 1-2 Spain, then Beau Dure will be on hand at 1am BST/8pm EDT for USA USA USA 3-2 Belgium.

RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING

How do you do fellow kids? Yes, there’s now a TikBook account with all things of a Big Website sporting focus. So, if you’re there, you know what to do. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I didn’t know that 5 July was equal to 1 April at Fifa. The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not defend the national team – it defends football in general. It defends its integrity. It defends its ethics” – a seething Rudi Garcia responds to Fifa’s decision to “suspend” Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, meaning the USA USA USA striker is available for their last-16 clash. Donald Trump, incidentally, made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure the change was made. “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” he posted on his social media disgrace, while Uefa offered its own interpretation: “Yesterday’s decision … crossed a red line. Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.”

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

I trust that as I write and, as his last patriotic act as prime minister, Keir Starmer is having high-level discussions with Gianni Infantino to have Jarell Quansah’s red card rescinded before the game with Norway on Saturday? ‘Special relationship’ and all that” – Stevie Ewens (and 1,056 others).

Hands up those who would love to have watched Paraguay v Uruguay as the GWC final” – Tim Diggles.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Double rollover! Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here. 

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Get your ears around the latest episode of the World Cup Daily podcast, or you can watch it as well.

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Jordan Henderson is recovering in hospital after the unused sub fell over an advertising hoarding and injured his wrist in England’s celebrations. “It just doesn’t fit to the evening that Jordan is not with us,” said Thomas Tuchel. “I don’t know the procedure, the doctor told me he is in hospital.”

 Ståle Solbakken thinks it is “the greatest day in Norwegian football history” while Erling Haaland has labelled it one of “the sickest”. Either way, Norway are through to the last eight for the first time after beating Brazil 2-1, and now tackle England in Miami on Saturday. “Everyone has to enjoy themselves,” roared Haaland. “All of Norway has to enjoy themselves. You just have to enjoy it, because this is sick.”

Fresh off his team’s exit, Neymar has retired from international football. “I tried, ⁠I tried. Now it’s over. I started here, I ​finished here,” he sobbed.

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre has called time on his third stint in charge of the national team after their defeat by England. “I would have liked to say goodbye ‌to my people with a victory. That hurts. We tried,” he lamented. Rafa Márquez will step up immediately. “I wish him the best,” added Aguirre. “He is more than capable, and he will do better than me.”

Carlos Queiroz has also quit as Ghana head coach after they went out tamely to Colombia in the last 32, leaving with an apparent dig at the country’s FA. “The future of the Black Stars will not be built only on the pitch,” he sighed. “Black Stars success must start off the field, by creating the best possible environment to prepare, protect and develop Ghana’s extraordinary football talent.”

Also on the way out, this time after a whistlestop 18-day stint at the helm of Tunisia: Hervé Renard.

The Do One door in South Korea keeps on spinning after their group-stage exit – KFA president Chung Mong-gyu the latest to depart. “There were moments when I lived up to expectations and moments when I left you deeply disappointed,” declared Chung. “All the success is thanks to our players and fans, and all the mistakes are my responsibility.”

And Socceroos forward Awe Mabil has returned home post-exit to have a sweary swipe at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s claim that the national team embodies her vision of a monocultural Australia. “Male cow hooey,” we paraphrased. “We know what we represent … if anybody’s trying to divide that, they’re probably not Australian themselves, in a sense. Australia is very inclusive, it includes everybody.”

STILL WANT MORE?

“This was the most extraordinary, agonising night of football as an experience of the mind, body, bones, guts, blood and back of the neck. During which England overcame not only Mexico over 90 minutes plus an extendable eternity of added time; but an event, an iconography, a set of ghosts.” By Barney Ronay.

More Mexico v England: Jacob Steinberg hails Thomas Tuchel’s “clear-headed masterclass”; Nick Ames dishes out his player ratings; and this pictorial review from a wild night at the Azteca.

How exactly did England fans navigate the early kick-off quandary that loads of the world has to work out during these things? Hannah Al-Othman joins sleep-deprived supporters in Manchester.

Elsewhere, Trump’s red-card intervention hurts the USA USA USA’s World Cup run more than it helps, reckons Pablo Iglesias Maurer.

Does Brazil’s limp departure from the tournament point to them being more a brand than a team, muses Leander Schaerlaeckens. 

Before the big Portugal v Spain Iberia-off, Sid Lowe wants to talk about the Spanish squad’s non-attention-seeking forward Mikel Oyarzabal.

And Paraguay’s laughably anti-football outing against France at least showed how the tournament favourites can be stifled. Quarter-final opponents Morocco will have taken note, suggests Paul MacInnes.

MEMORY LANE

Twenty years and two days ago, Germany and Italy produced one of the classic World Cup encounters in Dortmund. The hosts’ hearts were broken in a semi-final that left everyone – players, commentators and fans – exhausted and exhilarated. After 118 minutes of nip-and-tuck action, Fabio Grosso’s sensational strike broke the deadlock before Alessandro del Piero sealed a 2-0 extra-time win for the eventual champions, two minutes later. Grosso, originally selected as back-up in the Azzurri squad, would memorably hit the winning penalty in the final against France.

BEYOND THE GWC

Oliver Glasner has gamely spoken of Evangelos Marinakis’s “trust and belief in me and my staff to build a strong future together over the long term” as he checks in as Nottingham Forest’s fifth head coach in under a year.

Sandro Tonali says he oooooohed at the sales pitch he heard spun by Spurs as he sealed a £92.5m move from Newcastle. “I spoke to [Roberto De Zerbi] for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately I had to sign,” he cheered.

The Magpies are already splurging some of that cash, with £43m headed in Hoffenheim’s direction for Côte d’Ivoire tyro Bazoumana Touré.

And Sweden international Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has left Chelsea to sign a three-year contract with OL Lyonnes.

UP, UP AND AWAY