By Natalia Siniawski and Cassandra Garrison
MEXICO CITY, July 5 (Reuters) – Mexico’s World Cup dream died in a crushing 3-2 defeat by England at their fortress Azteca Stadium on Sunday, delivering a gut punch to home fans who had started to believe ‘El Tri’ were destined to go deep into the tournament.
Fans streamed out of the iconic stadium, where Mexico had lost only two competitive matches before Sunday’s defeat, many in tears.
The noise of more than 80,000-strong supporters silenced.
The question that had echoed around the stadium throughout the match — “¿Y si sí?” (What if?) — brutally answered.
“The party’s over,” said Elizabeth Marcos on the way out of the stadium. “It’s sad, they were down to 10 men… but that’s just how it goes.”
After reaching the round of 16 without conceding a goal, Mexico lost to an England team that played the final third of the match with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off.
Leaning against a damp bench by the exit, Ulises Chavez said: “It’s hard to take, it’s so painful.”
Along the city’s central Reforma avenue, where thousands had gathered despite the rain to watch the match on giant screens, the mood was heavily subdued.
In stark contrast to the heartbreak of the crowd, an upbeat mariachi band continued to play as the clearing streets filled with thousands of dejected fans making their way home.
Aysha Peraza, 39, who had travelled from Sinaloa to the heart of the capital, watched a morning of intense optimism give way to a quiet, heavy heartbreak.
“From early on, the people were in a super good mood,” Peraza said as fans cleared out. “Right now, people are sad, you can feel the sadness.
“Mexico made it very far,” she said. “And, well, they made us feel things we hadn’t felt in a long time.”
(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer, Natalia Siniawski, Cassandra Garrison and Janina Nuño Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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