England could face a Mexico side flying on home soil in the World Cup last 16 if they overcome DR Congo later on Wednesday evening.
Mexico swept aside Ecuador to reach the knockout stages with a perfect record of four wins from four games at this tournament.
Julian Quinones opened the scoring with a blistering strike before Raul Jimenez added a second, with the match effectively settled before half-time.
The result means Mexico have now scored eight goals and conceded none across their four World Cup matches, a remarkable defensive and attacking display.
Their record at the iconic Azteca Stadium makes for extraordinary reading, with 70 wins from 89 competitive games, 17 draws, and only two defeats in their entire history there.
Mexico are also unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches at the Azteca, making it one of the most intimidating venues in world football for any visiting side.
Former Australia and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou summed up the challenge bluntly, saying 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.”
“The whole nation is behind them – we’ve seen the scenes,” Postecoglou added, emphasising the electric atmosphere surrounding the Mexican camp.
Mexican fans celebrating in Los Angeles, a city with a huge Mexican population, were already looking ahead to a potential clash with England with bold confidence.
“England have the Ballon d’Or favourite Harry Kane leading that team,” one supporter said, adding: “You have players like Jude Bellingham, and it is scary, but with the momentum we have there is the chance to do the impossible.”
The celebrations extended well beyond Mexico itself, with fireworks greeting the final whistle at a packed watch party in downtown Los Angeles as thousands of fans gathered together.
One fan told BBC World Service: “This is by far the best performance we have seen from the Mexican team in a long time. It is a great year to be Mexican and a great year to see the World Cup.”
Another supporter described the collective spirit within the squad, saying: “You’ve seen the energy of the players evolve through the tournament. There are players now who were getting called out for making mistakes but are now playing amazing.”
Quinones, the 29-year-old striker who plays for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, taking his tally to three goals in four games.
Mexico also boast one of the most exciting teenagers at the tournament in Gilberto Mora, who at 17 years and 259 days became the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match, behind only Pele in 1958.
Former Nigeria striker Efan Ekoku was full of praise on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying: “Disciplined, skilled, tenacious – there are so many things we can say about Mexico.”
“When a home side is playing like that, it’s so hard to stop. They are going to be so difficult to play against in the round of 16. It will be a daunting task,” Ekoku continued.
No opponent has managed to test Mexico’s goalkeeper consistently, with their defence having faced only six shots on target across all four matches so far.
Hanging over the celebrations, however, is the famous Mexican curse known as ‘quinto partido’, meaning the fifth game in Spanish, which has haunted the nation for decades.
Mexico have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup, and from 1970 through to 2018 they were eliminated in their fifth match of every tournament they participated in, but this squad will be hoping to finally break that long-standing hoodoo.
