By Gloria Ogbonna
England booked its place in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after surviving a dramatic second-half comeback from Mexico to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory Sunday night at the iconic Estadio Azteca.
Led by a sensational first-half performance from Jude Bellingham and another clinical finish from captain Harry Kane, the Three Lions overcame the challenge of playing with 10 men for more than half an hour to hand Mexico its first defeat of the tournament in front of a passionate home crowd of more than 80,000 supporters.
The victory sends England into the quarterfinals, where they will face Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a place in the World Cup semifinals on the line.
The match was played in a hostile atmosphere at Estadio Azteca, one of football’s most historic venues. Mexico entered the contest unbeaten in its previous 10 World Cup matches at the stadium, including three victories during the current tournament, giving supporters every reason to believe El Tri could finally break its long-standing Round of 16 curse.
Instead, England produced one of its most impressive performances of the competition, thanks largely to the brilliance of midfielder Jude Bellingham.
After a tightly contested opening half-hour, Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. Rising above Mexico’s defenders, the Real Madrid star powered a perfectly placed header into the net to silence the home crowd and give England a 1-0 lead.
Before Mexico could recover, England struck again.
Just 98 seconds after his opening goal, Bellingham doubled England’s advantage with another composed finish after being brilliantly set up by Harry Kane. The lightning-fast double stunned Mexican supporters and put England firmly in control of the match.
Mexico responded before halftime through Julián Quiñones, who pulled one goal back in the 42nd minute to reignite hopes among the home fans and ensure the contest remained within reach heading into the second half.
The momentum appeared to swing decisively in Mexico’s favor shortly after the restart.
In the 54th minute, England defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Jesús Gallardo, reducing the Three Lions to 10 players with more than 35 minutes still to play.
With a numerical advantage and thousands of supporters urging them forward, Mexico pressed aggressively in search of an equalizer.
However, England found another crucial breakthrough.
Following a challenge by Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel inside the penalty area, the referee awarded England a penalty kick. Kane stepped forward and calmly converted from the spot, restoring England’s two-goal cushion and giving the Three Lions a 3-1 advantage.
The goal carried additional historical significance for England’s captain.
It was Kane’s sixth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bringing his overall World Cup tally to 14 goals and tying legendary West German striker Gerd Müller for fifth place on the competition’s all-time scoring list. Kane also moved to within one goal of tournament Golden Boot leaders Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.
Yet the drama was far from over.
Later in the second half, Kane committed a foul inside England’s penalty area, making him the first player since at least 1966 to both score a penalty and concede one in the same World Cup match.
Veteran striker Raúl Jiménez confidently converted the resulting spot kick with a composed stutter-step run-up, cutting England’s lead to 3-2 and setting up a tense finale.
Mexico launched wave after wave of attacks during the closing stages, desperately searching for an equalizer that would force extra time.
The hosts poured numbers forward throughout the final 21 minutes of regulation, followed by 11 minutes of stoppage time, creating several dangerous opportunities in front of England’s goal.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford delivered several crucial saves under immense pressure, while England’s defense produced a determined display to withstand the relentless assault despite playing with only 10 men.
When the final whistle sounded, England celebrated one of its toughest victories of the tournament, while Mexico was left heartbroken after another disappointing exit in the knockout rounds.
The defeat extends Mexico’s long-standing struggles in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The national team has not reached the quarterfinals since hosting the tournament in 1986. Since then, El Tri has suffered eight Round of 16 eliminations, failed to advance beyond the group stage in 2022, and missed the 1990 World Cup after being disqualified from the competition.
For England, however, confidence continues to grow.
With Bellingham in outstanding form, Kane continuing to climb the World Cup scoring charts, and the team showing resilience under difficult circumstances, the Three Lions now turn their attention to a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown against Norway as they continue their pursuit of World Cup glory.
Source ABC7
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