MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� England鈥檚 last memory of a competitive match at is not a pleasant one.
On June 22, 1986, during the quarterfinals of the , Argentina defeated England 2-1 en route to lifting the trophy.
That match remains etched in the memory of soccer fans worldwide, defined by the late scoring two of the most famous 鈥� and contrasting 鈥� goals in the history of the sport: the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.
In the first one, Maradona punched a loose ball past an advancing Peter Shilton with his left hand. Minutes later, the Argentina great controlled the ball in his own half and danced past half the England team to score what some consider to be the greatest World Cup goal in history.
鈥淓veryone remembers that match; they are iconic goals 鈥� well, there were two iconic goals in this stadium,鈥� England coach Thomas Tuchel said Saturday, a day before England was to meet Mexico in the Round of 16.
To commemorate Maradona鈥檚 feats, the stadium鈥檚 owners installed a plaque in one of the tunnels leading to the pitch. Tourists from all over 鈥� but especially Argentines 鈥� flock to take photos with it during regular tours of the venue when it’s not hosting the World Cup.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that still hurts; the wound is open, but we aren鈥檛 here for revenge,鈥� Tuchel said.
England faces a different foe in a different era
Tuchel, who is coaching England in the World Cup for the first time, downplayed the historical baggage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the same stadium, but not the same opponent 鈥� and even if it were, looking for revenge wouldn鈥檛 make sense,鈥� Tuchel said. 鈥淲e are here to write a new chapter.鈥�
Forty years after that heartbreaking match, the narrative has shifted. This time, England鈥檚 adversary isn鈥檛 Argentina, but the host country.
Mexico will be backed by an raucous home crowd and will also look to take advantage of Estadio Azteca’s altitude 鈥� more than 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level.
鈥淚t will take a lot of courage to put out a top performance against Mexico. But we have a brave team,鈥� Tuchel said. 鈥淲e have an experienced team and at the same time a young team who is ready to take these challenges.鈥�
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