England overcame a hostile atmosphere, a second-half red card and relentless late pressure to beat hosts Mexico 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday to seal qualification. fifa world cup 2026 quarter-finals. The win sends the Three Lions into their third consecutive World Cup quarter-finals, with a semi-final spot at stake when they face Erling Haaland’s Norway in Miami Gardens on Saturday. In one of the most dramatic games of the World Cup, Jude Bellingham scored twice in just 98 seconds of the first half and Harry Kane converted a crucial penalty despite England playing with 10 men. The match, played in front of more than 80,000 spectators at the iconic Estadio Azteca, was delayed by almost an hour due to weather conditions before England secured victory in one of the toughest conditions in the competition. Mexico had gone on a 10-match unbeaten run at the Azteca World Cup, including three wins at this tournament, but England ended that remarkable run. In the 36th minute, Bellingham scored with a header, quieting the home fans. Two minutes later, Kane assisted Bellingham to score again, and the England team firmly controlled the game. Mexico refused to admit defeat and Julian Quiñones reduced the deficit in the 42nd minute to ensure the hosts were firmly in control before half-time. Nine minutes after the restart, the momentum seemed to shift decisively in Mexico’s favor when England defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Jesús Gallardo. Kwanza became the fourth England player to be sent off at a World Cup and the first since Wayne Rooney was sent off in 2006. Ray Wilkins in 1986 and David Beckham in 1998 are the only two English players to receive red cards at the World Cup. With England reduced to 10 men, manager Thomas Tuchel responded by replacing Bukayo Saka with John Stones to bolster the defence. Despite being outnumbered, England scored again in the 60th minute when Anthony Gordon was brought down by Mexican goalkeeper Raul Rangel in the penalty area. Kane calmly struck from the penalty spot for his sixth World Cup goal and the 14th of his career, leveling West Germany legend Gerd Müller for fifth place on the tournament’s all-time goalscoring list. Kane’s sixth goal of the World Cup also moved him to just one goal behind Golden Boot leaders Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Haaland. The England captain also made unpopular World Cup history by conceding a penalty late in the game, becoming the first player since at least 1966 to both score and miss a penalty in the same World Cup match. Raúl Jiménez produced a trademark staccato run-up to cut England’s lead to 3-2 and set the stage for a tense final. Mexico went all out in the final 21 minutes and 11 minutes of stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford and the England defense withstood waves of pressure to hold on to their slim advantage. The defeat continued Mexico’s dismal record in World Cup knockout stages. Since hosting the World Cup in 1986 and reaching the quarter-finals, El Tri has been eliminated in the last 16 eight times. Apart from the last 16, their only appearance was in 1970 when they hosted the World Cup. Despite holding a one-man advantage for much of the second half and enjoying the enthusiastic support of their home fans, Mexico failed to find a decisive equalizer as England reached the World Cup quarter-finals again.
