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2 min readJul 6, 2026 08:42 AM IST
England beat Mexico to reach quarterfinal of World Cup 2026. (AP)
England defeated co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in a wild Round of 16 match at the Estadio Azteca to advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals and move one step closer to a long-awaited World Cup title.
The Three Lions booked a clash against Norway, who defeated Brazil 2-0 earlier on Monday.
The clash began at a frenetic pace and never slowed down, with both sides going for their chances from start to finish.
Jude Bellingham, who has been impressive for the Three Lions throughout the tournament, changed the course of the game with two sensational strikes in the space of 98 seconds to put England 2-0 up. His first goal came via a diving header from Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 36th minute. Just two minutes later, in the 38th, Bellingham netted again – this time with an assist from captain Harry Kane – to silence the hostile Azteca crowd.
Mexico responded quickly after the two quick blows. A flurry of attacks from El Tri resulted in a comeback goal from Julián Quiñones in the 42nd minute. The hosts didn’t stop there, ramping up the pressure, but Jordan Pickford made several fine saves to deny Mexico an equaliser before half-time.
If the first half was action-packed, the second was even more frenetic. It began with Jarell Quansah being sent off for a bad tackle on Jesús Gallardo, leaving England with 10 men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, England went 3-1 up when Kane converted a penalty won by Anthony Gordon.
Mexico refused to back down. A silly foul by Kane inside the box handed the hosts a penalty, which Raúl Jiménez converted to keep Mexican hopes alive.
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From there, England produced a brilliant defensive display to deny Mexico an equaliser, breaking the hearts of millions of home fans.
Earlier, the match had been delayed by an hour due to adverse weather conditions around the Azteca Stadium.
English (US) ·