England will take the field against Mexico at the historic Azteca Stadium tomorrow. The venue holds painful memories for English football — their last appearance there ended in a devastating defeat.
At coach Thomas Tuchel’s pre-match press conference, questions repeatedly returned to the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, when Argentina beat England 2-1 at this same ground on their way to the title. Diego Maradona scored two of football history’s most famous goals that day — the “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century.”
England midfielder Jude Bellingham said: “We’ve heard the stories. Every English footballer knows what happened here in 1986. But we’re a new generation. We respect history, but we’re here to write our own.”
Tuchel, managing his first World Cup campaign with England, said: “The stadium may be the same, but the opponent is different. And even if the opponent were the same, going in with a revenge mentality makes no sense. We’re here to write a new chapter.”
He added: “Playing Mexico on their home soil will require a lot of courage to deliver our best performance. But we’re ready.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report