By CARLOS RODRIGUEZMonday July 6, 2026
At altitude, against the noise and down a man when the match was slipping toward Mexico, England found a way through. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane pushed the Three Lions into the World Cup quarterfinals Sunday night, delivering a 3-2 victory in a gripping round-of-16 match at Estadio Azteca.
Forty years after Diego Maradona’s Hand of God helped end England’s 1986 World Cup run against Argentina in this same stadium, Kane’s right foot supplied a measure of Azteca redemption.
“I am just proud of the mentality and the attitude … round of 16 it is a moment in tournaments when you find a way to win and we did it with pure mentality and heart,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “We overcame every obstacle that was thrown our way.”
Bellingham struck twice in a span of 98 seconds before halftime. Then, with England reduced to 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s dismissal, Kane buried a penalty six minutes later to push the lead back to two goals.
England will next meet Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a place in the semifinals at stake.
“It was a crazy game. We had to fight,” Kane said, his voice hoarse. “I can’t really talk, but the occasion, the team, everything against us, we found a way.”
Bellingham quieted much of the 80,824-strong crowd in a stadium where Mexico had never lost a World Cup match in 10 previous tries, including three during this tournament. He headed England in front in the 36th minute, then scored again in the 38th from Kane’s pass.
“We’ve done something incredible tonight, no doubt about it, and we’ll enjoy it. And we’ll sing songs until we lose our voices on the plane and whatnot, but we’ll have a couple of days recovering, then it’s straight back to business in terms of facing Norway,” Bellingham said.
Julián Quiñones pulled one back for El Tri in the 42nd minute, and Mexico appeared to seize momentum in the 54th when Quansah received a red card for a dangerous foul on Jesús Gallardo.
England, however, soon earned a penalty after a challenge by Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel. Kane converted for his sixth goal of the tournament and the 14th of his World Cup career, drawing level with West Germany’s Gerd Müller for fifth on the all-time list. He remains one goal behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
Kane later conceded a penalty himself, becoming the first player since at least 1966 to both score and give away a spot kick in a World Cup match. Raúl Jiménez used a stutter-step run-up to convert, cutting England’s advantage to 3-2.
“Forty, 50 minutes with 10 men — even on sea level it’s almost impossible to overcome but we did it. We did it in altitude,” Tuchel said. “They’re almost too exhausted to celebrate. It’s just beautiful that players on that kind of level just give everything for the win and for the country and for that shirt.”
Mexico poured forward for the final 21 minutes and through 11 minutes of stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford and England’s back line withstood the pressure.
“This is probably one of the biggest England wins in a while, probably the biggest one I can remember as a fan or player,” Bellingham said. “The best night of my England career.”
Midfielder Jordan Henderson was later taken to a hospital with a wrist injury, Tuchel said, after being hurt while falling over an advertising board during the postmatch celebration.
“I have mixed feelings; I am sad because Jordan injured his wrist and it is quite serious. It just does not fit with the evening that Jordan is not with us,” Tuchel added. “I do not know the procedure; the doctor told me that he is in the hospital.”
Mexico’s long wait for a return to the World Cup quarterfinals continues. El Tri has not reached that stage since hosting the tournament in 1986. Since then, Mexico has exited in the round of 16 eight times, failed to move beyond the group stage in 2022 and was disqualified from the 1990 tournament.
“Dreaming and falling like this hurts a lot, but the players should leave with their heads held high,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “They left everything on the pitch, but today it just wasn’t meant to be. The fans had high hopes, and we couldn’t get the job done and give them another night of joy.”
For Mexico, it was only a third competitive defeat at Azteca since the stadium opened in 1966. The previous two were 2-1 losses in World Cup qualifying, against Costa Rica in 2001 and Honduras in 2013.
The setting offered England little comfort. Estadio Azteca stands 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level, and England’s itinerary left no time to acclimate. Mexico supporters also sounded horns outside the England hotel in an effort to disturb the players’ sleep, and a thunderstorm delayed kickoff by an hour.
None of it stopped England. Chasing its first World Cup title since 1966, the team moved on to the quarterfinals while its outnumbered supporters sang Oasis’ “Wonderwall” into the Mexico City night.
