At the Azteca stadium, you are not just watching a game; you are experiencing it. Colour, smell, sound — everything blends into a sensory experience. Football rolls on as an emotion-filled wave packed with all these sensations.

Around you are Mexican fans dressed in deep green, roaring with passion. “Ay ay ay, ay de la Sierra Morena...” they sang aloud. The famous lines of Quirino Mendoza y Cortés — “Dark-haired girl, come down from the mountain like heaven...” — thousands chant it together, and the stadium sinks into a buzzing hum like a giant swarm.

Every Mexican attack drew loud cheers. Every time South African players touched the ball, boos echoed around. The one-sided nature of the game may have made it dull, but the scenes at Azteca completely masked it.

The Azteca stadium is not modern at all, with unfinished plaster walls and narrow seating rows. Even the press tribunes are uncomfortable. But it carries human warmth and intensity. You can feel the pulse up close, drown and rise again in the Mexican wave. This is where legends have played, scored, and lifted trophies.

In the blazing sun, the match continued. Mexican fans were satisfied with the win, but the second-half slowdown made them restless. A new rule allowing water breaks during play was criticised for breaking the flow of the match. There were also complaints that football, a game of physical rhythm, is losing its natural flow due to strict red-card rules issued too quickly.

After the match, the sky grew dark. From the mountain peaks, rain clouds descended like a girl with tied-back dark hair coming down from the hills. Maybe she was one of the Mexican fans waiting for the match to end. And once again, as they left, the Mexicans kept singing: “Ay ay ay…”

(The author is Assistant Editor of Mathrubhumi covering the FIFA World Cup 2026)