England Resists Mexico's Pressure, Advances to World Cup Quarterfinals

England secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Mexico to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, overcoming the disadvantage of playing with ten men for a significant portion of the match. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash against Norway.

The match, delayed by an hour due to inclement weather, saw an intense battle in midfield with Mexico committing numerous fouls in an attempt to disrupt England's rhythm. Mexico had an early chance in the 15th minute when Raúl Jiménez's header was saved by England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Despite Mexico's early dominance, England struck decisively in a two-minute span. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 36th minute, heading home a cross from Bukayo Saka, ending Mexico's 396-minute streak without conceding a World Cup goal. Shortly after, Harry Kane assisted Bellingham for his second goal, making it 2-0.

Mexico responded quickly, with Julián Quiñones pulling one back in the 42nd minute after a rebound, igniting the Azteca Stadium. The first half concluded with Mexico pressing, and Pickford making crucial saves. The second half saw England reduced to ten men in the 54th minute when Jarrel Quansah was sent off for a strong tackle. However, England extended their lead against the run of play when Kane converted a penalty after Gordon was fouled. Jiménez scored a second penalty for Mexico, narrowing the deficit to 3-2, but England held on to secure their place in the next round.