Mexico v England: Bellingham Brace and Ten-Man Heroics Send Three Lions Into Quarter-Finals
· Yahoo Sports
- Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds and Harry Kane converted a penalty as England beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling Round of 16 clash at the Azteca Stadium.
- England played the final 36 minutes with 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s straight red card but held on despite Mexico pulling back to 3-2 through Julian Quinones and a Raul Jimenez penalty.
- England became the first team to beat Mexico in a World Cup match at the Azteca and just the third to win a competitive match there in 89 attempts.
England Survive Red Card, Weather Delay and 80,000 Hostile Fans to Reach Last Eight
England survived a raucous Azteca Stadium atmosphere, a red card, an hour-long weather delay and two Mexican comebacks to beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in one of the matches of the tournament. Jude Bellingham’s quickfire double and Harry Kane’s penalty carried Thomas Tuchel’s side into the quarterfinals for a third consecutive World Cup, where they will face Erling Haaland and Norway in Miami on Saturday.
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Mexico dominated possession in the opening stages, backed by a feverish home crowd of more than 80,000, but it was England who struck first. Bukayo Saka delivered an inviting cross from the right in the 36th minute and Bellingham rose to head home. What followed was devastating. Almost straight from the restart, Mexico turned over possession, Kane collected the ball and set up Bellingham to slot home a second goal in just 98 seconds. The Azteca was momentarily silenced.
The quiet did not last. Mexico responded with fury. Quinones crashed an unstoppable shot past Jordan Pickford from close range in the 42nd minute to halve the deficit, and only a spectacular Pickford save denied Jimenez an equalizer before the break. The co-hosts’ tails were up as they headed into halftime trailing 2-1.
The second half was chaos from start to finish. Nico O’Reilly struck the post with a low drive before the match turned on Quansah’s 54th-minute challenge on Jesus Gallardo. The referee, after a VAR review, showed a straight red card and England were down to 10 men with more than a third of the match still to play.
Moments after the sending off, Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon in the penalty area. Kane stepped up and rifled the spot kick home to make it 3-1 and give England breathing room they desperately needed. It was Kane’s sixth goal of the tournament and 14th of his World Cup career, drawing him level with West Germany’s Gerd Muller for fifth on the all-time list.
Kane then became the first player since at least 1966 to both score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match. A foul by the England captain on Brian Gutierrez resulted in a penalty being awarded to Mexico following another VAR review. “I thought I got to the ball first,” Kane said. “It was one of those days, the ref gave a lot against us. In the end it didn’t matter so I’m happy.”
Jimenez made no mistake from 12 yards to bring Mexico back to 3-2 in the 69th minute, and the Azteca erupted. The co-hosts piled forward in search of an equalizer that would have taken the match to extra time, throwing everything at an English defense that refused to break. Javier Aguirre made attacking substitutions to take advantage of the extra man, but Mexico could not find a way through.
Bellingham, at 23 years and six days, became the youngest player ever to make 10 World Cup appearances, breaking the record previously held by Argentina’s Mario Kempes, who was 23 years and 334 days when he reached the milestone in 1978. He was named Player of the Match for a performance that showcased both his brilliance in attack and his willingness to fight for every ball during the grueling final half hour.
Kane’s voice was hoarse and barely audible from celebrating when he spoke after the final whistle. “It was a crazy game, we had to find something. All the occasion, the team, everything against us, we found a way,” the England captain said.
Tuchel was brimming with pride at his side’s resilience. “I’m very proud. We needed everything. It was super difficult. In the moments we thought we catch the momentum, we had setbacks. That is proper mentality. When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief. It was one step more,” the England coach said.
Aguirre was gracious in defeat despite the heartbreak for the host nation. “I can’t fault my team for anything. We did everything we could, and they’re a great team. This is the top level, you can’t make mistakes because they’ll cost you dearly. We took a chance with our substitutions to take advantage of having an extra man, but we weren’t able to do it. I have nothing but words of gratitude for everyone’s support,” the Mexico coach said.
Mexico have now exited the World Cup at the Round of 16 stage eight times since they reached the quarterfinals in 1986. The only other occasion they progressed beyond the last 16 was the previous time they hosted the tournament in 1970. For England, the quest for a second World Cup title and first since 1966 continues in Miami, where Norway await in the last eight.