England Reach Quarter-Finals After Beating Mexico with 10 Men

Darwin, 06 July : England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling 3–2 victory over co-hosts Mexico on Monday, despite playing with 10 men for much of the second half.

The win sends Harry Kane’s side into the last eight for the third consecutive World Cup. England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals after the Norwegians defeated Brazil 2–1 in New York earlier in the day.

England overcame the challenge of playing at the high-altitude Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and also rewrote history. It was at the same stadium that England suffered a famous quarter-final defeat to Diego Maradona’s Argentina in the 1986 World Cup, a match remembered for the legendary “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century.”

This time, however, Thomas Tuchel’s men emerged victorious in a match filled with drama, including two goals from Jude Bellingham, Mexico’s spirited comeback, two penalties, and a red card. The victory also keeps England’s dream of winning their first World Cup since 1966 alive.

Bellingham was the star of the opening stages, scoring twice in just 98 seconds to give England a commanding lead. Despite being reduced to 10 men later in the game, Harry Kane’s penalty proved decisive.

In front of more than 80,000 fans at the Azteca, Bellingham opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a header from Bukayo Saka’s cross. Just 98 seconds later, the Real Madrid midfielder doubled England’s advantage after receiving a pass from Kane.

Mexico pulled one back before halftime when Julián Quiñones scored in the 42nd minute.

England’s task became even more difficult in the 54th minute when defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle, leaving the visitors with 10 men and allowing Mexico to dominate possession.

However, England struck again against the run of play. After Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel committed a foul inside the penalty area, England were awarded a penalty. Kane calmly converted from the spot to score his sixth goal of the tournament.

The goal also took Kane’s World Cup tally to 14, equaling Gerd Müller’s total. In the race for the Golden Boot, Kane now trails Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland by just one goal.

Soon after, another dramatic moment unfolded when Kane conceded a penalty with a foul inside the box. Raúl Jiménez converted from the spot to bring Mexico back into the contest.

With that incident, Kane became the first player since 1966 to both score a goal and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match.

Mexico launched relentless attacks during the final 21 minutes and 11 minutes of stoppage time, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and England’s resilient defense held firm to preserve the victory.

Mexico have now failed to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since their home tournament in 1986. This marks the eighth time they have been eliminated in the Round of 16.

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