Three Lions roar at alti-Jude! Bellingham and Kane send 10-man England to QFs after thriller
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- England beat Mexico 3-2 at Azteca Stadium (attendance 80,824) in the World Cup Round of 16 after kick-off was delayed by an hour, setting up a quarter-final against Norway on Saturday.
- Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds (36' and 38'), the first goals Mexico had conceded all tournament — the opener headed in from Saka's cross after Rice drove forward, the second bundled in from Kane's square.
- Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card in the 54th minute by referee Alireza Faghani following a VAR review for a reckless sliding challenge at right-back, forcing England to play over 35 minutes a man down.
- Harry Kane buried a 60th-minute penalty after Anthony Gordon was brought down by the Mexico goalkeeper, netting his sixth goal of the tournament to extend England's lead.
- Mexico clawed back through Julian Quinones' 43rd-minute strike from a soft free-kick and Raul Jimenez's 69th-minute penalty, the latter awarded after VAR penalised Kane for a kick on Brian Gutierrez.
- Thomas Tuchel switched to a back five, introducing Dan Burn and Djed Spence, as England's 10 men threw themselves in front of shots and headed clear endless crosses in a frantic finale sealed only in the 11th minute of stoppage time.
Why it matters: England advance past co-hosts Mexico despite playing more than 35 minutes with 10 men at altitude in front of 80,824 fans, exposing how reliant Tuchel became on a makeshift back five featuring Burn and Spence. With Quansah suspended and a Norway quarter-final looming on Saturday, the right-back crisis Tuchel papered over here is now the defining selection problem of England's tournament.
