FIFA U20: Mexico, England eye knockout berth

Mexico faces England tonight in Cartegena in its final Group F game. The top two teams in each group advance automatically and are joined in the knock-out stage by the four best third-place teams.

Argentina defeated Mexico 1-0 in the first group match, then El Tri rolled over North Korea in a 3-0 beat down. Mexico will need to copy their success from the North Korea match if they want to challenge a very dangerous England squad and advance to the knockout.

Mexico bounced back from their opening defeat by Argentina, which gave El Tri a positive goal difference and leaves them needing only a point against England to be sure of their place in the knockout stages. With that in mind, coach Juan Carlos Chavez may be tempted to opt for a more conservative approach to the one he employed against the North Koreans, despite declaring his intention to respect Mexico’s tradition for attack-minded football.

Mexico forward,Taufic Guarch, said “Playing safe is not in our culture, and it’s the best way to play if you want unpleasant surprises. We prefer to play to win and be disappointed with a draw, rather than play for a draw and risk losing.”

Expect high drama and a fast pace for both England and Mexico. El Tri will need to keep up a locked down defensive effort in order to stifle the quick paced England.

Posted in: FIFA U-20 World Cup