Mexico City, Mexico: Jude Bellingham scored twice in the space of 98 seconds as 10-man England survived a fierce second-half fightback to defeat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 and book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The dramatic Round of 16 victory at a packed Estadio Azteca ended Mexico’s unbeaten run at the tournament and sent England into a mouthwatering last-eight showdown against Norway, who stunned five-time champions Brazil.
Backed by more than 80,000 passionate home fans, Mexico started brightly but found themselves behind when Bellingham rose highest to head home in the 36th minute.
The Real Madrid midfielder struck again just 98 seconds later, finishing off a flowing move after being picked out by Harry Kane to silence the Azteca crowd and give England a commanding 2-0 lead.
Mexico responded before halftime through Julián Quiñones, who pulled one back in the 42nd minute to reignite hopes of a comeback.
England’s task became significantly harder nine minutes into the second half when defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Jesús Gallardo, leaving the Three Lions to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, England extended their lead after Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel brought down an England attacker inside the penalty area. Kane calmly converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 3-1, scoring his sixth goal of the tournament and moving level with German legend Gerd Müller on 14 career FIFA World Cup goals.
The England captain later conceded a penalty after committing a foul inside his own box, allowing veteran striker Raúl Jiménez to reduce the deficit to 3-2 with a composed finish.
Mexico launched relentless attacks during the closing stages and throughout 11 minutes of added time, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford produced several crucial saves while England’s defence stood firm to preserve the narrow advantage.
The victory sends England into the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway in Miami Gardens on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals.
For Mexico, the defeat extended a long-standing World Cup knockout hoodoo. The co-hosts have now failed to reach the quarter-finals since hosting the tournament in 1986, suffering yet another Round of 16 heartbreak despite an impressive campaign on home soil.
England, meanwhile, remain firmly in contention for a second FIFA World Cup title, with Bellingham and Kane continuing to lead their charge in North America.
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