World Cup: England survive thriller against Mexico
In a pulsating match in Mexico City, ten-man England hung on in dramatic circumstances to beat the hosts, 3-2, and advance to a quarterfinal showdown with Norway next weekend. Get the latest from the Azteca with the Ligue 1 McDonald's team.
Bellingham shows his brilliance
In a match delayed an hour owing to torrential rain around the Mexican capital, favorites England faced a tall order playing against the hosts at altitude in a frenzied atmosphere in the Azteca. Having not lost a competitive match in the venue since 1970, El Tri also had history on their side as they sought to keep the international career of former AC Ajaccio goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa alive.
From the off, the hosts were more than up for the occasion, and it took moments of brilliance from both goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Jude Bellingham to make the difference in the first half. First, Pickford pulled off a stunning save on 15 minutes, getting down low to his left to keep out a rasping shot by Raul Jimenez. After Jimenez's diving header was kept out at one end, another by Bellingham found the back of the net for England, the Real Madrid man nodding home from Bukayo Saka's cross (36'). Two minutes later, it was 2-0, as Harry Kane unselfishly squared the ball for Bellingham, but Julián Quiñones powered a shot into the roof of the net (42') to make it 2-1 at the break, but not before Pickford made another world-class stop against Jiménez in added time.
Memo Ochoa. Legend 🌟 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/Al4ZG47T1N
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) June 11, 2026
England weather the storm
Into the second half, England looked sharp out of the gates, with Nico O'Reilly hitting the post, but the character of the match would turn on a red card for Jarell Quansah for a high challenge. With nearly 50 minutes to play, England would have to finish the match with ten men, but just before the hour, Anthony Gordon was brought down on the break, and Kane would convert to make it 3-1.
Kane would go from hero to villain on 65 minutes, though, as his high boot saw Mexico win a penalty of their own, converted with characteristic coolness by Jimenez. From there, Mexico pushed hard for an equalizer to make it three-all, but struggled to have much coherence in the attacking third against England's massed defense, allowing the Three Lions to advance to Saturday's quarterfinal against Norway in Miami.
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