Mexico 3-2 England: Quinones 42, Jimenez 69 pen; Bellingham 36, 38, Kane 60 pen
It was quite literally a mountain to climb but England survived at the 7,000-feet Azteca ground against World Cup co-hosts Mexico, braved a red card and held on for a 3-2 victory that set up a place in the quarter-finals against Norway.
Thomas Tuchel’s side looked to be in complete control after Jude Bellingham struck twice in the space of three first-half minutes, silencing more than 80,000 home supporters in Mexico City. But Julian Quinones halved the deficit before the break, Jarell Quansah was dismissed early in the second half and Raul Jimenez’s penalty ensured England were forced to endure a nerve-racking finish before sealing the victory.
The contest had begun an hour later than scheduled after heavy thunderstorms swept across the Mexican capital, adding another layer of tension to an occasion already fraught with them. England had been forced to endure playing at a very high altitude at Azteca, which the co-hosts were comfortable with, even if manager Javier Aguirre insisted it gave them no advantage.
The opening stages belonged to Mexico who immediately seized their early ground advantage and pressed aggressively. Jimenez nearly gave his side the lead when he met a cross with a diving header, but Jordan Pickford produced an outstanding low save to keep England level.
Having weathered the storm, England gradually settled. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson began to gain control in midfield and Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka found increasing space on the flanks. In the 36th minute, Tuchel’s side hit Mexico on the break. Pickford launched England forward and Rice carried the ball deep into Mexican territory before releasing Saka, whose inviting cross was met by the charging Bellingham. The midfielder powered his header beyond Raul Rangel to stun the home crowd.
England doubled their advantage almost immediately. Anderson won possession high up the pitch, Bellingham exchanged passes with Harry Kane and continued his run into the penalty area, where the captain returned a precise low cross for the midfielder to finish from close range.
For a brief spell, England appeared to have seized complete control, but Mexico refused to buckle. England failed to deal convincingly with a set-piece delivery and, after the ball dropped kindly inside the area, Quinones rifled a finish through a crowded box to reignite the stadium before half-time.
The momentum threatened to swing entirely in Mexico’s favour before the interval. Jimenez narrowly dragged an effort wide before forcing another excellent save from Pickford, while Bellingham capped a superb first-half display by racing back to deny Cesar Montes with a crucial last-ditch challenge.
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England emerged positively after the break and almost restored their two-goal cushion when Nico O’Reilly’s deflected effort struck the post. But the match turned dramatically moments later. Quansah lunged into Jesus Gallardo near the touchline but play initially continued before VAR called for a review. After consulting the monitor, the referee awarded Quansah a straight red card, leaving England to play more than half an hour with 10 men.
But England provided the perfect riposte. Gordon chased a loose ball into the penalty area after Kane had disturbed Edson Alvarez, the winger reaching it just before goalkeeper Rangel, who crashed into him. The referee pointed straight to the spot and Kane converted.
England’s breathing space proved short-lived, however, after Mexico earned a penalty of their own. Kane caught substitute Brian Gutierrez while attempting to clear a set-piece and another VAR review leading to a spot-kick. Jimenez kept his composure to reduce the deficit once again and set up an anxious final 20 minutes.
Mexico pressured and poured forward relentlessly, sending cross after cross into the England penalty area during 11 minutes of stoppage time, but Tuchel’s side refused to crack.
