Chucky Lozano: ‘We feel vertigo when we play at Estadio Azteca’
The Napoli ace confirmed that all the players from European clubs have a hard time playing in Mexico city because of the altitude.
Historically, the Mexico national team has a certain advantage when playing at the Estadio Azteca because the opposing side struggles to play at a high altitude, especially during the World Cup qualifiers. In the past decade, more Mexican players have made the switch to different clubs in Europe and many have left a mark in their respective teams.
All European players struggle in the altitude
Nowadays, playing in Mexico city is only an advantage for the Liga MX players because the ones that come from Europe struggle. In the current World Cup qualifiers, the Mexican national team has struggled to win games and even score goals. They sit in third place, with a worse goal difference than the United States, and playing at home has been a struggle for many Mexican players.
“The altitude does affect the Mexican players that come from Europe. You feel the vertigo and you can tell because of our performances in the qualifiers. But it is what it is and we have to push through it,” said Hirving Lozano during an interview with TUDN.
Mexico will play their last game of the World Cup qualifiers in CONCACAF on Wednesday against El Salvador at Estadio Azteca. El Tri will secure a top three finish and a direct ticket to Qatar 2022 if they pick up a win or a draw against El Salvador. This has been Mexico's second worse performance in the last qualifiers, but they are on the verge to secure an eight consecutive spot to a World Cup.