A Spectacular Round of 16 Match

England Holds On Against Host Mexico

England can celebrate advancing to the quarterfinals.(Bild: AP/Natacha Pisarenko)

Pure drama in this Round of 16 clash! Favored England ended host Mexico’s World Cup fairy tale—but had to hold on until the very last second for the 3-2 victory. A brace from Jude Bellingham and a penalty kick goal by Harry Kane paved the way to the quarterfinals, where dark horse Norway now awaits. The self-sacrificing Mexicans—who played with a man advantage for over half an hour—are lamenting a missed opportunity. 

England has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a back-and-forth battle with Mexico. The Three Lions defeated the co-hosts 3-2 (2-1) on Sunday (local time) at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Jude Bellingham scored twice (36th, 38th) and Harry Kane (60th) converted a penalty kick for England. Mexico was only able to narrow the gap through Julian Quinones (42') and Raul Jimenez (69'), also from the penalty spot.

(Bild: Kronen Zeitung)

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After Jarell Quansah was shown a red card (54'), England played with one fewer player for over 50 minutes. Thomas Tuchel’s team will now face Norway in an all-European quarterfinal this coming Saturday in Miami (11:00 p.m. CEST). With Mexico’s exit, the next host nation—following Canada—has been eliminated. For “El Tri,” it was their first-ever loss in their eleventh World Cup match at Estadio Azteca.

Waiting in Mexico City
 In Mexico City, the first order of business was waiting. As in the Round of 32 against Ecuador, kickoff was delayed by an hour due to a thunderstorm. The vast majority of the 80,824 spectators were eager to cheer their team on. With the stadium behind them, Mexico started strongly with an unchanged starting lineup. Wolverhampton striker Jiménez executed his header perfectly, but Jordan Pickford—making his 17th World Cup appearance (tying him with record-holder and goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton)—made a successful save.

The English withstood the pressure—and, against the run of play, took the lead on a quick counterattack. The ball went from Pickford to Rice and then to Bukayo Saka, who had started the game, and Bellingham converted Saka’s cross with a flying header. Mexico’s clean sheet streak at the World Cup was thus broken. Less than two minutes later, England led 2–0. Mexico’s 17-year-old rising star Gilberto Mora took too big a risk with a dribble, and the ensuing counterattack ended once again with Bellingham.

The Mexicans quickly shook off the double blow. Quinones was in the perfect spot after a free kick and pulled the home team within one. In stoppage time of the first half, Pickford was called into action. Jiménez came close to equalizing twice, then Bellingham made a save in his own penalty area against Mexico’s captain, César Montes. For the 1966 World Cup champions, the halftime whistle came at just the right time.

Red Card and Penalty for England
The match remained highly entertaining even after the break. England’s left back, Nico O’Reilly, first hit the post (49th minute). A far too reckless challenge by Quansah then gave Mexico a numerical advantage. The right back struck Jesús Gallardo on the shin with his foot outstretched and was sent off following a VAR review. Tuchel adjusted his lineup, bringing Saka on for defender John Stones, but almost immediately saw his team strike again. With a bit of luck, Kane flicked Pickford’s goal kick into the path of Anthony Gordon, as Mexico’s goalkeeper Raul Rangel illegally spread himself wide. Kane remained ice-cold from the penalty spot; it was the English captain’s sixth goal of this World Cup.

But Mexico found an answer once again. While attempting to clear the ball in his own penalty area, Kane struck substitute Brian Gutierrez on the foot, and once again, Australian referee Alireza Faghani had to consult the VAR screen. Jiménez converted the resulting penalty. England then switched to a five-man defense and sat deep. Mexico threw everything forward one last time, but the Central Americans were unable to create another clear chance to equalize. Even in the final seconds, the English players threw themselves in front of every shot attempt.