England booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a thrilling 3-2 victory over hosts Mexico despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.
Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame a hostile atmosphere at the Azteca Stadium and a second-half red card for Jarell Quansah to set up a last-eight meeting with Norway.
The encounter, which was delayed for an hour because of severe storms, saw England produce one of their strongest performances of the tournament before surviving a late Mexican fightback.
Bellingham inspires England
England made a good start against a Mexico side backed by a passionate home crowd and were rewarded just before the interval.
Jude Bellingham struck twice in less than two minutes to put the visitors firmly in control after dominating possession and creating the better opportunities.
Mexico responded before half-time when Julian Quinones powered a finish beyond Jordan Pickford to reduce the deficit and give the home supporters renewed belief heading into the break.
Pickford also played a key role in preserving England’s advantage, producing two outstanding saves to deny Raul Jimenez during an entertaining first half.
Ten-man England stand firm
England’s task became much harder shortly after the restart when Quansah was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Jesus Gallardo.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, the visitors regained a two-goal cushion after Anthony Gordon was fouled by goalkeeper Raul Rangel inside the penalty area.
Captain Harry Kane calmly converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 3-1.
Mexico refused to give up and were awarded a penalty after Kane was adjudged to have fouled Brian Gutierrez inside the box. Jimenez converted from the spot to set up a tense finale.
Tuchel responded by introducing Dan Burn and Djed Spence, switching to a five-man defence as England withstood relentless pressure throughout 11 minutes of stoppage time.
The victory ended Mexico’s hopes on home soil and sent England into the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway after the Scandinavian side stunned five-time champions Brazil. England will now hope to build on their impressive performance as they continue their pursuit of a first World Cup title since 1966.
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