Jude Bellingham scored twice as 10-man England survived a fierce fightback from Mexico to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory at the Estadio Azteca, booking their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
Harry Kane also found the net from the penalty spot as England overcame the dismissal of Jarell Quansah, the challenges of playing at high altitude and a passionate home crowd to keep alive their hopes of winning a first major international trophy in 60 years.
The victory sets up a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Erling Haaland’s Norway, with Bellingham and Kane once again proving decisive after leading England throughout the tournament.
Bellingham struck twice within 98 seconds during the first half, condemning Mexico to only their third defeat in 90 matches at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
Mexico responded through Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez, but their spirited comeback fell just short as England held on under intense late pressure.
The win also helped England erase painful memories of the 1986 World Cup quarter-final at the same venue, where Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to victory with his famous “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century.”
Kick-off was delayed by an hour after heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across Mexico City. Despite the poor weather, more than 80,000 supporters packed the stadium to create a hostile atmosphere for the visitors.
England manager Thomas Tuchel made three changes to his starting lineup, with Quansah filling in at right-back due to Reece James failing to recover in time from injury.
After surviving early pressure, England took control when Bukayo Saka delivered a pinpoint cross for Bellingham to power home a header, ending Mexico’s run of five consecutive World Cup matches without conceding.
Less than two minutes later, Bellingham doubled England’s lead after calmly finishing from Kane’s cross to score his fourth goal of the tournament.
Mexico fought back before the break when Quinones scored after England failed to clear a free-kick, while goalkeeper Jordan Pickford produced several key saves to preserve England’s advantage.
England’s task became even harder in the 54th minute when Quansah was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a mistimed challenge on Jesus Gallardo.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, England restored their two-goal cushion six minutes later after Anthony Gordon was brought down inside the penalty area by goalkeeper Raul Rangel. Kane confidently converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 3-1.
The goal was Kane’s sixth of the tournament, leaving him just one strike behind Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
Mexico were handed a lifeline after Kane conceded a penalty in his own box, allowing Jimenez to convert from the spot and set up a tense finish.
However, England defended resolutely throughout 11 minutes of stoppage time, withstanding relentless Mexican pressure to secure a place in their third consecutive World Cup quarter-final.
