STADIUM 974 (DOHA): Ever since their names were drawn from the bowl to stand alongside Argentina in Group C, Mexico taking on Poland was supposed to be the battle of second placers. On Tuesday, in the matter of a few hours, it soon graduated to top-billing, after the shocker Argentina faced at the hands of Saudi Arabia earlier in the afternoon.
Not that any change in status quo would have made a difference to the thousands of Mexican fans who have descended to Doha, as they do for each World Cup, and the noise they make, but yes, it helped. There was that added spring in their step as they made their way to the Stadium 974, the dismantle-friendly venue made of cargo containers.
