England Advances to World Cup Quarterfinals with Win Against Mexico

Jude Bellingham delivered a standout performance by scoring twice within 98 seconds in a thrilling match against Mexico. Harry Kane added a penalty goal after England went down to 10 players. The exciting 3-2 victory occurred at Estadio Azteca on Sunday, pushing England to the quarterfinals.

England’s next challenge is Norway, whom they will face on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a place in the semifinals at stake.

In front of a crowd exceeding 80,000, Bellingham shocked the fans with a header goal in the 36th minute. He quickly followed that with another goal in the 38th minute, assisted by Kane. Mexico responded with a goal by Julián Quiñones in the 42nd minute.

The match swung in Mexico’s favor when England’s Jarell Quansah was sent off for a dangerous foul on Jesús Gallardo in the 54th minute. However, England regained ground when awarded a penalty after Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel’s challenge. Kane successfully converted the penalty, marking his sixth goal of the tournament and his 14th in World Cup history. This achievement ties Kane with Gerd Müller for fifth place on the all-time scoring list. Kane trails Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland by one goal in the Golden Boot race.

Harry Kane later noticeably conceded a penalty, becoming the first player since at least 1966 to both score and concede a penalty in a World Cup match. Raúl Jiménez converted the penalty for Mexico, reducing England’s lead to 3-2.

Despite relentless attacks by Mexico during the final 21 minutes and 11 minutes of stoppage time, England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the defense successfully protected their lead.

Mexico has not progressed beyond the round of 16 since hosting the tournament in 1986. Following 1986, they have faced repeated exits at the round of 16, failed to move past the group stage in 2022, and were excluded from the 1990 tournament.