Who’d have thought early Monday morning football matches could be so… incredible, otherworldly, epic? There are so many superlatives for this clash that it’s hard to know where to even begin. Was it a dream? It certainly felt real.
England’s absolutely stunning victory against a dynamic, dangerous and passionately supported Mexico team in their round of 16 tie at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City was a match for the ages – a game from the footballing gods in a stadium fit for them.
In a match that lurched chaotically one way and then another, it was the Three Lions who ultimately came out on top. They triumphed despite a second-half Mexican onslaught against England’s 10 men, refereeing decisions that went the hosts’ way and 11 minutes of added time when the sands of time felt as though they had stopped entirely.
Those fans who stayed up to watch the game live in the wee small hours of Monday morning were rewarded with a performance full of spirit, unity and determination. Meanwhile, the catch-up crowd waking up the morning after were blessed with one of England’s best-ever performances at a major tournament. The game had everything, the boys gave everything and a magical feeling of belief has ensorcelled the country.
Way before kick-off on Monday morning, the drama was building: the monumental task ahead, the suffocating altitude, the imposing stadium, the fiercely partisan support and Mexico’s imposing home record. This is a team that simply does not lose at home we were told. Then there was the threat of electrical storms, which on Saturday looked set to bring the match forward to 7pm UK time. In the end, the storms actually delayed kick-off by an hour, meaning the watch-along crowd had to endure an even later night and an even earlier morning. Yet, if the build-up was dramatic, the game itself was biblical.
Until yesterday, the weekend had delivered the biggest daily audiences of the World Cup so far. On Saturday – when news of the potential kick-off time change broke – the 3.3m daily users and 9.8m page views were up 10% and 5% respectively on the previous day. Sunday’s match-day build-up delivered further growth, with 3.9m users and 12.8m page views (increases of 30% and 20% respectively).
However, match-day mania on Monday blew those numbers completely out of the water. Daily users hit 5.2m and page views reached 18.4m, soaring by a third and by more than 40% respectively. Monday’s football audience was more than double pre-tournament levels, as fans soaked up live coverage, devoured post-match analysis and relived both the emotional celebrations between players and fans in the stadium, and the wild scenes at fan zones across the country. Absolute scenes.
England now progress to the quarter-final stage, where they will face Erling Haaland and Norway in Miami on Saturday 11 July, with kick-off scheduled for 10pm UK time. Norway’s—and their star man’s—share of voice among users is already rising, up by more than 50%. Meanwhile, England’s overall user share of voice has grown by 66% to 6.2m.
Within the England camp, Thomas Tuchel, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham command the highest individual share of voice, drawing 4.5m, 4.4m, and 2.7m users respectively. Furthermore, sentiment for Kane and Bellingham is running overwhelmingly positive, sitting at over 65%.
Whatever Saturday’s outcome, we’ll continue to follow fan engagement across Ozone’s audience platform and share the findings with you.
