Thomas Tuchel tells parents to put football before school for England 1am game

England manager Thomas Tuchel has urged parents to let their children skip school to watch the national team's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico on Monday morning, with kick-off scheduled for 1am BST. The plea comes after England's dramatic 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday.

"Write an excuse for school and let them watch football," Tuchel said. However, Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith disagreed. Speaking to LBC, she said: "I don't want to be a killjoy here but I'll tell you what the biggest killjoy is young people who then don't have the learning to be able to go on and do what they need to do in life."

England's progression was far from straightforward. The DRC took the lead in the seventh minute through Brian Cipenga, but Harry Kane's remarkable double in the final moments rescued the side. This was only England's second occasion in sixty years of winning a World Cup match after going 1-0 down.

England now face a considerable challenge in Mexico City, where Tuchel has acknowledged they will be at a significant disadvantage due to the altitude. The Azteca Stadium sits at approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, and Mexico have won 70 of their 89 competitive matches there. When asked if this was unfair, Tuchel responded: "Yes, it's a huge advantage for Mexico."

Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University's Extreme Environments Laboratory explained the physiological impact. At the Azteca's altitude, atmospheric pressure is 23 per cent lower than at sea level. This reduces aerobic performance by approximately 10 per cent while increasing recovery time and fatigue levels by about 15 per cent. Complex cognitive performance can also decrease.

England will fly to Mexico City from their Kansas City base on Friday afternoon. However, Fifa regulations require teams to train at venue-specific sites the day before matches, limiting acclimatisation time.