Henry noted that the Three Lions are up for a very difficult tie because they will have little time to acclimatise to the high altitude.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has warned England that their round-of-16 fixture against co-hosts Mexico might be their last outing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup if they concede first.
The former France international made this known while analysing the Three Lions’ round-of-32 encounter against DR Congo on Fox Sports.
England came from behind to defeat DR Congo 2-1 in a match played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The African side took a shock lead as early as the seventh minute through Brian Cipenga, who beat Jordan Pickford at his near post after an assist from Chancel Mbemba.
However, Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to rescue England. The Bayern Munich forward first headed the equaliser in the 75th minute, before drilling the ball into the top corner from inside the box 11 minutes later.
With the victory, they will now clash with Mexico in the next round of the tournament at the Azteca Stadium at 1am BST on Monday morning.
The North Americans have triumphed in all four of their World Cup matches against South Africa, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Ecuador, and they have yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
ALSO READ: England beat hard-fighting DR Congo 2-1 to qualify for World Cup last 16
They also have a considerable advantage, as they play at a stadium situated approximately 7,200 feet above sea level—a factor which will leave the England players with little time to acclimatise to the altitude.
Speaking on the round-of-16 game, Henry warned that the English team will not be able to replicate another World Cup comeback if they fall behind against Mexico.
The Frenchman, who was part of the French team that won the World Cup in 1998, further noted that Kane might not be able to rescue them this time around.
“You don’t want to go there too soon right, but you have to address the situation,” Henry said.
He added: “If they start the same way they started today at the Azteca, dealing with the altitude, we don’t know how the weather is going to be, it’s one thing to play in a dome and to play outside.
“And so the Mexico we saw yesterday and how they played [against Ecuador], I don’t know if you’re going to come back against a team that still hasn’t conceded a goal.
“We all know this guy, Sir Harry [Kane], can be in a situation where he can open up any team at any moment, but you can’t start like that and you’re not always going to have that cooling break that can give you a little chance, because Ecuador after that cooling break were in trouble.
“I mean Harry Kane… every time it’s him saving them.”
