England survived adversity, a second red card and late pressure to beat Mexico 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday, keeping their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 last quarter. The win sends the Three Lions into the last eight of the World Cup for the third time in a row, where they will face Norway’s Erling Haaland at Miami Gardens on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals at stake. In one of the most impressive performances of the game, Jude Bellingham made it two goals just 98 seconds into the first half before 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 famous Azteca Stadium, also featured a nearly hour-long weather delay to prevent England from winning in one of the toughest conditions of the competition. Mexico entered the tournament unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches at the Azteca, including three victories in the tournament, but England ended that remarkable record. Bellingham silenced the home team in the 36th minute with a header before striking again two minutes later after being set up by Kane, putting England in control. Mexico refused to budge, with Julián Quiñones reducing the deficit in the 42nd minute to ensure the hosts remained firmly in the contest going into halftime. The momentum seemed to be working for Mexico nine minutes after the restart when England defender Jarell Quansah received a straight red card following a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Jesús Gallardo. Quansah became the fourth England player to be sent off at the FIFA World Cup and the first since Wayne Rooney’s dismissal in 2006. Ray Wilkins in 1986 and David Beckham in 1998 are other England players who received red cards during the competition. With England reduced to 10 men, head coach Thomas Tuchel responded by removing Bukayo Saka and John Stones to strengthen his defence. Despite the numerical disadvantage, England struck again in the 60th minute when Anthony Gordon was brought down in the goal area by Mexican midfielder Raúl Rangel. Kane calmly converted from the spot to score his sixth competitive goal and 14th World Cup goal of his career, leveling him with West Germany legend Gerd Müller for fifth on the tournament’s all-time scoring list. Kane’s sixth goal of the tournament saw him overtake Golden Boot leaders Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. The England captain also created an unnecessary World Cup record later in the tournament by conceding a penalty, becoming the first player since 1966 to score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match. Raúl Jiménez converted with a stutter to cut England’s lead to 3-2 and set up the final. Mexico took the lead in the final 21 minutes, and 11 minutes of stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford and England’s defense fought back against the tide to preserve their slim advantage. The defeat extended Mexico’s disappointing World Cup record in the knockout stages. El Tri have now been eliminated in the round of 16 eight times since reaching the quarter-finals when they hosted the tournament in 1986. Their only other appearance beyond the last 16 came when they participated in the World Cup in 1970. Despite having a one-man advantage in the second half and receiving support from the home crowd, Mexico were unable to find the decisive goal as England progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
