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One of the tournament’s instant classics unfolded on Sunday at the historic Estadio Azteca, where 87,500 screaming fans created a deafening atmosphere.
England weathered the storm and silenced the sea of green with a ruthless finishing display to escape with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane teamed up to crush El Tri’s World Cup dreams. El Tri is a popular nickname for the Mexican men’s national team.
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England’s Harry Kane buries a penalty kick to score his second goal against Mexico. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
In an astonishing two-minute span in the first half, Bellingham struck twice, leaving Mexico’s defense completely shell-shocked.
But before the break, Julian Quinones gave El Tri a lifeline. He buried a clutch goal to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The second half was just as electric as the first.
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In the 53rd minute, England went down to 10 men after Jarell Quansah received a straight red card. Suddenly, the momentum seemed to swing in Mexico’s favor.
England’s Jude Bellingham clears the danger as goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates the crucial defensive stop. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
Instead of capitalizing on the numerical advantage, however, Mexico presented England with a golden opportunity.
Goalkeeper Raul Rangel recklessly felled Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area and conceded a spot kick. Captain Harry Kane calmly stepped forward and buried the penalty, restoring England’s two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Still, Mexico refused to fold.
In the 69th minute, the referee pointed to the spot again and awarded Mexico a penalty after another frantic sequence inside the England box.
Raul Jimenez confidently converted, reducing to 3-2 and producing an angled finish.
England’s Jude Bellingham (left) reacts after Mexico’s Julian Quinones scores their team’s first goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at Mexico City Stadium, Mexico. Picture date: Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images))
From there, England dug in, despite being down to 10 men. England absorbed wave after wave of Mexican pressure before holding on for a gritty 3-2 win to progress to the quarter-finals against Norway.
England booked their place in the quarter-finals and handed Mexico their first ever World Cup defeat at the Estadio.
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Traveling England supporters celebrated by belting out “Wonderwall” once more.
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