England Beat Mexico 3-2 at Azteca to Reach World Cup Quarterfinals

Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds and Harry Kane added a penalty as 10-man England beat Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca on Sunday night. Thomas Tuchel’s side played most of the second half a man down after Jarell Quansah was sent off, yet held off wave after wave of Mexican pressure to set up a quarterfinal against Norway on Saturday.

The night carried more than a place in the last eight. Bellingham’s double ended a 40-year drought at the Azteca, with no player having scored twice in a single World Cup game there since Diego Maradona in 1986. Kane’s penalty took him level with Gerd Müller on the all-time World Cup scoring list. England also equalled their longest run of consecutive World Cup quarterfinals, three tournaments in a row. The Three Lions will travel to Miami on Saturday to face Norway.

The First Win in 10 World Cup Visits to the Azteca

England arrived in Mexico City to a stadium that had been a fortress for El Tri. Mexico had played 10 matches unbeaten at the Azteca in World Cup competition, including three this tournament. They had yet to concede a single goal in the 2026 edition, in any match, before Bellingham struck. The crowd of 80,824 sat 7,300 feet above sea level, and Mexico’s fans had spent the previous night blasting horns outside the England hotel.

That was the scale of what Tuchel’s side overturned on Sunday night. The manager who had been asked all week about altitude and a hostile crowd walked out of the Azteca with both questions answered, and his team still standing. The kick-off had been pushed back an hour by a thunderstorm, but the storm had cleared by the time the goals went in.

Tuchel called the night in simple terms after the final whistle. The full match report with Tuchel and Kane quotes from the Azteca captures his verdict.

I am just proud of the mentality and the attitude. Round of 16 it is a moment in tournaments when you find a way to win and we did it with pure mentality and heart.

Bellingham’s Brace, 98 Seconds, and the Maradona Echo

The match turned inside six first-half minutes that had been waiting 40 years to be written. In the 36th minute, Bukayo Saka skipped past Jesús Gallardo down the right and clipped a right-footed cross into the six-yard box; Bellingham had timed his run perfectly and headed home. The Azteca went quiet, then 98 seconds later went silent.

Bellingham laid the ball wide to Kane and burst beyond César Montes. Kane squared it back across goal, and Bellingham slid it home from six yards. No player had scored twice in a single World Cup match at the Azteca since Maradona did so in 1986. England fans had carried that record for four decades; Bellingham ended the wait inside two minutes.

The response in Mexico City carried the force of his England career to date. He ran, he pressed, he cleared off his own line when Montes looked certain to equalise in first-half stoppage time, and he collapsed to his knees when the final whistle went.

Bellingham called it the best night of my England career in post-match remarks. His goals joined a list of milestones set and matched by Kane and the broader squad on a night that broke a 40-year record.

Quansah’s Red Card and the 5-4-0 Re-Build

The night nearly unravelled nine minutes into the second half. Quansah, England’s sixth different right-back of the tournament, sprinted across to challenge Gallardo. His right leg went over the ball and caught the Mexican high on the shin. The benches emptied before referee Alireza Faghani had even reached the screen.

VAR spotted the infraction and Faghani came back with a straight red. Tuchel’s response was instant: John Stones came on for Saka, with Ezri Konsa sliding across to right-back. Then, with the score still 2-1 and the Mexican pressure building, Tuchel pushed his full hand onto the table, sending on Dan Burn, all 6ft 7in of him, for his World Cup debut, with Djed Spence replacing Nico O’Reilly at left-back.

Anderson made way for Burn and England ended the night in a shape almost no one plays any more, a 5-4-0 with Bellingham and Gordon tucking in to support the full-backs. A tactical breakdown of the England rearguard credits the back five for stopping Mexico cold, with 49 crosses repelled without conceding the goal that would have changed the night.

Kane’s Penalty, His Penalty Conceded, and the Golden Boot Race

On the hour, Anthony Gordon burst onto a flick from Kane and was taken down by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel. Faghani pointed to the spot. Kane’s penalty gave England their two-goal cushion back.

The goal was Kane’s sixth of the tournament and his 14th in World Cup play, drawing him level with Gerd Müller for fifth on the all-time list. That put Kane one behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the 2026 Golden Boot race, with the knockout rounds still ahead.

Within ten minutes Kane had given one back. Trying to clear a bouncing ball, he kicked through the back of Brian Gutiérrez’s leg in his own box; the VAR intervened and Jiménez rolled the penalty past Pickford with a stutter-step run-up. According to the AP, Kane became the first player since at least 1966 to score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match. Kane addressed the media afterwards with a voice that barely held.

It was a crazy game. We had to fight. I can’t really talk, but the occasion, the team, everything against us, we found a way.

The lead was back to one and the Azteca sensed blood. Mexico pressed on: Edson Álvarez headed wide, Jiménez shot over, John Stones put a clearance just past his own post. England stood firm until the clock ticked past the 103rd minute and the final whistle went.

Mexico’s Heartbreak and Henderson’s Wrist

For Mexico, the night ended a run that had carried them through topping their group and a comfortable 2-0 win over Ecuador earlier in the tournament. El Tri had not reached a World Cup quarterfinal since hosting in 1986. They have now lost in the round of 16 eight times since, a run that has come to define their World Cup summers. Aguirre’s side outplayed England for long stretches of the second half but could not finish on the night that mattered.

“Dreaming and falling like this hurts a lot, but the players should leave with their heads held high,” Aguirre said. “They left everything on the pitch, but today it just wasn’t meant to be.” The fans had high hopes, and the night ended with Mexico out in the round of 16 for the eighth time since 1986.

The win came at a cost for England. Jordan Henderson was taken to hospital with a wrist injury after tumbling over an advertising board during the post-match celebrations; Tuchel said the injury was “quite serious” and that Henderson had stayed behind for treatment.

Norway Awaits in Miami

England now face Norway at Miami Gardens on Saturday, July 11, for a place in the semifinals. Norway reached the last eight by beating Brazil 2-1 at MetLife Stadium earlier on Sunday. The squad must recover from altitude, a red card that rules Quansah out, and a wrist injury to Henderson that leaves a question over his availability.

The manager was measured but clear about what the night had meant. England, 60 years past their only World Cup win, are into the last eight of the 2026 tournament. Quansah will serve a one-match suspension and miss the quarterfinal. Henderson’s wrist injury leaves his availability uncertain for the rest of the tournament.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long had Mexico been unbeaten at the Azteca in World Cup matches?

Mexico went into the round of 16 with a record of 10 unbeaten World Cup matches at the Azteca across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments. England became the first team to beat them there in a World Cup game.

Who did Bellingham match with his Azteca brace?

Bellingham became the first player to score twice in a single World Cup match at the Azteca since Diego Maradona did so in 1986. The record had stood for 40 years.

Where does Kane now sit on the World Cup scoring list?

Kane’s penalty was his 14th World Cup goal, drawing him level with Gerd Müller of West Germany for fifth on the all-time list. He sits one behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the 2026 Golden Boot race.

What happened to Jordan Henderson after the match?

Henderson was taken to hospital with a wrist injury after falling over an advertising board during the post-match celebrations. Tuchel said the injury was “quite serious” and that Henderson would stay behind for treatment.

When does England play next?

England face Norway at Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, July 11, for a place in the semifinals. Norway reached the last eight by beating Brazil 2-1 at MetLife Stadium earlier on Sunday.