Rampant

“We have the chance to do the impossible.”

After Mexico brushed aside Ecuador to reach the last 16 of the World Cup, some of their celebrating fans already had an eye on their potential next opponents.

England face a difficult test in their last-32 tie with DR Congo later on Wednesday but, should they overcome that, it will not get any easier.

That is because next up would be a match with Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium – a mouthwatering fixture for many football fans, but a daunting one for England supporters.

Mexico have never got beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup, but their impressive displays at this tournament – four games, four wins, eight goals scored and no goals conceded – have their fans dreaming of what could be.

“England have the Ballon d’Or favourite Harry Kane leading that team,” one fan said.

“You have players like Jude Bellingham, and it is scary, but with the momentum we have there is the chance to do the impossible.”

Based on their performances at this World Cup and their record at the Azteca, Mexico going far should not feel like an impossible target.

Their competitive record at this stadium is 69 wins from 88 games, with 17 draws and only two defeats. They are also unbeaten in 10 World Cup games there.

Admittedly, the opposition they have faced at he Azteca is not always of the highest quality but, nevertheless, it will be a daunting task for whoever faces them in the last 16.

“The whole nation is behind them – we’ve seen the scenes,” former Australia and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said on ITV.

“If it will be England going down to Mexico, it’s going to be like stepping into a different World Cup for them.”

Armagh made a storming start in Killarney with Joe McElroy going close to an early goal, but his shot landed the wrong side of the post.

Paul Geaney got the first point of the game for the hosts, but Armagh’s incisive play paid dividends as they rattled off the next four scores to move ahead.

They were soon pegged back however, through a combination of their own wastefulness and some David Clifford brilliance.

The Orchard County hit four wides in a row before Kerry and David Clifford, who had been quiet up until the 12-minute mark, sparked into life as, on his 50th championship appearance, he fired low into the far corner for his 26th goal after latching onto a fine pass from Dylan Geaney.

He followed that up with another score before momentum swayed back in the favour of Armagh through points from Ross McQuillan and Jason Duffy.

The end-to-end nature of the absorbing contest continued as Clifford notched another point and Dylan Geaney added three, including a two-pointer, to move Kerry ahead.

A close-range free from Conor Turbitt and a score from Oisin Conaty brought Armagh back within a point, but not for long as a two-pointer from David Clifford increased Kerry’s lead back out to three.

Armagh then suffered a hammer blow on the stroke of half-time as they conceded a second goal as a result of some poor game management.

As Kieran McGeeney’s side pushed for a late point before the hooter, Jarly Og Burns surrendered possession cheaply and, with Ethan Rafferty out of his net, Paul Geaney collected a long pass and stroked the ball into an empty net to give the Kingdom a six-point lead at the break.