Do I or don’t I?

As I have already written, despite my protestations and best efforts I have been caught by the World Cup bug. With the matches being played in a different hemisphere to where I live it was inevitable that some of those I wanted to watch would be on at stupid o’clock. Sure enough, after a less than convincing performance against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, England’s next match with Mexico was scheduled for the small hours of Monday morning, just gone.

One o’clock in the morning was the most awkward of times, too late to stay up and too early to get up. So the question was, do I watch the match or don’t I? I’d come too far and suffered too much to give up now and so felt I had no choice. The only question that remained then was how to manage the logistics.

As the game got closer, there was rumour that it would be moved to a much earlier time (and more sensible for UK viewers). Apparently they were expecting bad weather in and around Mexico City that day. Both teams protested. I gather that they had measured their preparations with such precision that bringing the game forward would have thrown everything out. So the time stayed as originally stated.

Back to the logistics then. I am an early to bed and early to rise person and so decided to sleep a split shift, going to bed as normal and setting my alarm in time to watch the match. The plan was to go back to sleep after the game, if I could. When I woke I learned that the bad weather had indeed arrived and that the game would be put back an hour, starting at two o’clock. So be it, I was awake by then but the thought of an hour’s pre-match build up was too much to contemplate and so I ended up catching up on some of my reading.

What a game. When it finally got going, Mexico was all over England which was contained until the first hydration break. The period after then until half time was crazy with two England goals in quick succession followed by one from Mexico. The frenzied pace didn’t subside after the break, with two penalties and a sending off of one of the England players. The referee certainly had his work cut out.

After that, England were left camped in their own defensive area under a constant barrage of crosses and attempts on goal from Mexico. Amazing saves were made and bodies were put on the line. When the fourth official announced eleven minutes of added time I wasn’t sure that my heart or my fingernails could take the excitement. In the end, as we all know by now, England hung on and progressed to the quarter finals to play Norway.

I had my doubts about stopping up yet I was so glad I did. It was one of the most exciting games of football that I have ever seen, as well as one of the next England performances. I can’t speak for the players but I was exhausted when the final whistle blew. 

Any thought of sleep after that went out of the window. Next stop Saturday. I am starting to believe.