England came through one of the most testing nights a visiting team can face, beating co-hosts Mexico 3-2 at a raucous Estadio Azteca to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. They did it the hard way, seeing out the closing half-hour a player short after a red card, and holding off wave after wave of Mexican pressure.
Bellingham lights it up
England made the fast start. Jude Bellingham struck twice inside the first half to put them 2-0 up and briefly quiet the home crowd, Sky Sports reported. Mexico hit back before the break through Julian Quiñones to make it 2-1 and reignite the stadium, setting up a fraught second half.
Red card, and a decisive penalty
The complexion of the game changed just before the hour. England's Jarell Quansah was sent off for a challenge that a video review confirmed as a red card, leaving England to protect their lead with ten men. Rather than retreat, they landed a further blow when Harry Kane converted a penalty to make it 3-1, ESPN reported.
Mexico responded almost immediately, Raúl Jiménez scoring from the penalty spot to pull within a goal at 3-2 and turn the closing stages into a siege. For the remainder of the match, England defended deep and desperately, riding their luck at times but refusing to concede the equalizer.
Into the last eight
The win takes England into the quarterfinals, where they will meet Norway, the surprise package of the tournament after Erling Haaland's double knocked out Brazil. For a nation whose long wait for a World Cup title stretches back to 1966, it is a significant step, and the manner of it, a backs-to-the-wall victory in hostile surroundings, may matter as much as the result.
Mexico, for their part, exit their home World Cup at the last-16 stage after a spirited effort that came up just short. For England, attention now turns to a quarterfinal against a Norway side brimming with confidence, and to whether a team that just survived the Azteca can go further still.
