England knocked Mexico out of the 2026 World Cup in a dramatic match
The English national team advanced to the next round of the World Cup after a tense match in which the referee awarded two penalties and sent off one of the players. The victory was hard-fought, but it was the English who remained in the running for the trophy.
The match at the Azteca Stadium started an hour late due to bad weather. The teams played aggressively from the very start—Declan Rice received a yellow card in the first minute.
The hosts created the first dangerous chance: a header by Raúl Jiménez was saved by England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, for whom this game marked a record—his 17th World Cup appearance, tying Peter Shilton’s record. In response, in the 26th minute, Anthony Gordon fired a low shot down the middle of the goal, but Mexico’s goalkeeper Raúl Rangel made the save.
The decisive moments unfolded over six frantic minutes: first, Jude Bellingham finished off a pass from Bukayo Saka, and just two minutes later, he scored his second goal following a swift counterattack set up by a pass from Harry Kane. The Mexicans responded immediately—Julian Quionones fired a precise shot after the ball deflected off an opponent, setting a personal record: his fifth goal in a single World Cup for the Mexican national team. In stoppage time of the first half, Jiménez had two chances to tie the score but failed to convert either opportunity.
At the start of the second half, England was reduced to ten men—defender Jarrell Quansa received a red card for a rough tackle following a VAR review. Despite the hosts’ numerical advantage, it was the English who scored twice more—both goals coming from penalty kicks: Harry Kane converted in the 60th minute, and the Mexicans responded with a penalty kick by Jiménez only in the 69th minute. However, the Mexicans were unable to score a second goal and salvage the match before the final whistle.
Thanks to this victory, England advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the third time in a row—only the second time in the team’s history.
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