England survive Mexico thriller, reach World Cup quarterfinals

Jude Bellingham's two goals gave England a firm grip on the match before Jarell Quansah's red card and Raúl Jiménez's penalty turned a controlled round-of-16 tie into a 3-2 World Cup thriller at Mexico City Stadium. Harry Kane also scored from the spot as England held off Mexico's late push and booked a place in the quarterfinals.

Bellingham struck in the 36th and 38th minutes, a quick double that forced Mexico to chase the game in front of a crowd that had treated the fixture like a national occasion from the opening whistle. Kane converted England's penalty in the 60th minute, six minutes after Quansah was sent off, and Jiménez answered for Mexico from the spot in the 69th minute to pull the hosts back into the contest. ESPN called it an instant classic after England survived the red card and sustained pressure to finish the night as 3-2 winners.

The sequence changed the shape of the game. Before Quansah's dismissal, England could build through Bellingham's pace and Kane's finishing with more control over the tempo. Once England went down to 10 men, Mexico pressed higher and the stadium noise sharpened, with every attack carrying the possibility of a sudden swing. Jiménez's penalty, coming soon after Kane's, made the final stretch feel like a deadline rather than a football match, as England were forced to defend deeper and Mexico pushed for an equalizer.

The result landed in a venue loaded with history. FIFA had framed England's return to Mexico City as a chance to confront the memory of their 1986 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina, when Diego Maradona's Hand of God and his solo goal defined one of the tournament's most famous nights. Mexico also arrived with a strong home record at Estadio Azteca, having played 10 World Cup matches on home soil across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments, winning eight and drawing two, a record that helped explain the pressure on England in an 80,824-capacity stadium.

Mexico leaned on altitude, a partisan crowd and the sense of occasion that came with hosting World Cup matches at home, but England's early efficiency and Kane's response after the red card proved enough. The round-of-16 tie ended with England moving on and Mexico left with the feeling that one officiating decision and one finish had rewritten the night.