FIFA 2026: England survive Mexico scare to reach World Cup quarter-finals

MEXICO CITY: England survived a spirited fightback from co-hosts Mexico to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday, reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for a third consecutive tournament despite playing much of the second half with 10 men.

Jude Bellingham starred with two first-half goals before Harry Kane converted a penalty after the break, as Thomas Tuchel’s side set up a quarter-final clash with Norway, who stunned Brazil 2-1 earlier in the day.

The match, delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms, began with Mexico on the front foot, roared on by a passionate home crowd. Raul Jimenez came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening stages, but Jordan Pickford produced an outstanding save from the striker’s diving header. Pickford’s appearance was his 17th at a World Cup, equalling Peter Shilton’s England men’s record.

England struck twice in quick succession after the half-hour mark. Bellingham opened the scoring with a diving header from Bukayo Saka’s cross before doubling the lead two minutes later after Harry Kane set him up following another attack down the right.

Mexico responded before halftime when Julian Quinones volleyed home from close range after a scramble inside the penalty area, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

England’s task became significantly harder in the 54th minute when defender Jarell Quansah was sent off following a VAR review for a high-footed sliding challenge on Jesus Gallardo, becoming only the fourth England player to be dismissed at a World Cup.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, England extended their advantage when goalkeeper Raul Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon, allowing Kane to calmly convert the resulting penalty on the hour mark.

Mexico refused to give up and pulled another goal back after Kane conceded a penalty, with Jimenez scoring from the spot to make it 3-2. The hosts dominated possession in the closing stages, but England defended resolutely to preserve the win and hand Mexico their first-ever World Cup defeat at the Azteca Stadium.

“It was a crazy game,” Kane said after the match. “We had to fight. We had to find something. The occasion, the team, everything was against us. We found a way.”

Tuchel praised his side’s resilience, saying: “We needed everything and it was super difficult. When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief. It was one step more.”

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre lamented defensive mistakes but praised his players’ effort.

“You can’t make mistakes because they punish you,” Aguirre said. “We had a couple of errors there, and it saddens me for the people, but my players can be at peace because they did everything they could against a great team.”

The defeat ended Mexico’s remarkable home record, with the co-hosts losing a competitive match on home soil for the first time since 2013, while England celebrated a memorable victory on their first visit to the Azteca since their 1986 World Cup quarter-final loss to Argentina.