Bellingham Brace, Red Card Drama And Late Mexico Barrage Send England Into FIFA World Cup Last Eight

Last Updated:July 06, 2026, 08:39 IST

Bellingham starred with two goals as 10-man England survived a relentless Mexico comeback, holding on for a dramatic 3-2 win to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after surviving a nerve-shredding second-half assault from hosts Mexico to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory at a rocking Estadio Azteca.

After a weather delay pushed kick-off back by an hour, the Round of 16 clash exploded into life. Mexico started brightly, backed by a deafening home crowd, but England gradually settled before Jude Bellingham took centre stage.

The midfielder broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, heading home from Bukayo Saka’s inviting delivery after a swift counterattack. Barely two minutes later, England struck again. Harry Kane led another lightning move before slipping Bellingham through for a simple finish, giving the Three Lions a stunning 2-0 lead.

Mexico refused to fold. Johan Vásquez’s set-piece pressure caused panic inside the England box before Ezri Konsa’s failed clearance fell kindly to Julián Quiñones, who fired home from close range in the 42nd minute to cut the deficit before the break. Jordan Pickford then produced a superb save from Raúl Jiménez, while Bellingham capped a remarkable first half with a crucial goal-line clearance.

The drama only intensified after the restart.

England were reduced to 10 men in the 54th minute when Jarell Quansah was shown a red card following a VAR review for a reckless challenge on Jesús Gallardo. Yet despite being a man down, Thomas Tuchel’s side struck again. Anthony Gordon was brought down by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel inside the box and Kane calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 60th minute to restore England’s two-goal cushion.

Mexico, however, threw everything forward. Another VAR review awarded El Tri a penalty after Kane’s high boot caught Gutiérrez inside the area, and Jiménez made no mistake from the spot in the 69th minute to make it 3-2.

With Tuchel switching to a back five, England spent the closing stages defending wave after wave of Mexican attacks. Eleven minutes of stoppage time only added to the tension as Jiménez went close twice, including a one-touch effort that flashed narrowly over the crossbar in the dying moments.

But England held firm through the relentless pressure, surviving a frantic finale to eliminate the hosts and book their place in the last eight after one of the tournament’s most dramatic encounters.

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Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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