England powered into the quarter-finals with a thrilling 3-2 victory over host nation Mexico on Sunday, despite playing most of the match with 10 men.
The Three Lions delivered a gutsy performance at the iconic Estadio Azteca, where Harry Kane calmly converted a penalty and Jude Bellingham starred once again.
England leaned heavily on their dynamic duo of Bellingham and Kane throughout the tournament, and the pair once more dragged the team into the last eight, where they will face Erling Haaland’s Norway.
“When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief,” said England manager Thomas Tuchel. “It was one step more. This is Azteca, it’s Mexico — a crazy game. We left everything out there.”
Tuchel’s side seized control midway through the first half. Bellingham stunned the home crowd by scoring twice in just 98 seconds. He first latched onto Bukayo Saka’s pass to open the scoring in the 36th minute, then doubled the lead moments later after Kane set him up perfectly.
Mexico refused to surrender in front of their passionate fans. Julián Quiñones pulled one back just before half-time to spark fresh hope.
The game swung dramatically nine minutes into the second half when defender Jarell Quansah received a straight red card for a high challenge on Jesús Gallardo.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, England hit back quickly. Harry Kane restored the two-goal cushion by slotting home a penalty after Anthony Gordon was fouled by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel.
Drama intensified when Kane turned provider into culprit, conceding a penalty by fouling Brian Gutiérrez. Raúl Jiménez converted from the spot to make it 3-2 and set up a frantic finish.
Mexico poured forward in search of an equaliser, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford produced a masterclass performance. The Everton keeper made several crucial saves, including two brilliant stops to deny Jiménez, and dominated his box during 11 tense minutes of added time.
Tuchel reacted smartly by bringing on Dan Burn and Djed Spence, shifting to a five-man defence to repel the late pressure.
The win carried extra weight as England became only the third team to beat Mexico in a competitive match at the Azteca in their last 89 games.
Bellingham earned Player of the Match honours, shining with his clinical first-half brace and a vital defensive clearance that prevented Mexico from equalising before the break.
