England overcame the “monster” of the Azteca Stadium and secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Mexico to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup.
Just as in their match against Ecuador in the Round of 32, the game was delayed due to heavy rain in that area of the country’s capital, but with two plays within two minutes, the English effectively sealed the match.
Hey Jude! Bellingham practically sealed the match
It was Jude Bellingham who, with a pair of goals in the 36th and 38th minutes, gave England the lead and the ability to control the match at will.
The first goal was a header off a corner kick, and the second came immediately after a throw-in, when Harry Kane received the ball unmarked and set Jude up alone in front of the goal.
Julian Quiñones gave Mexico a glimmer of hope by scoring near the end of the first half—his fourth goal of the tournament—and a red card for Jarell Quanash in the 54th minute made it seem as though things might turn around for the Green team.
But in the 60th minute, the referee awarded a penalty that put the score at 3-1 in England’s favor. The penalty was called when English forward Anthony Gordon ran into the box and was brought down by Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and captain Harry Kane confidently converted the kick to extend the lead.
It was Kane’s fifth goal in the 2026 World Cup, and with that, the Azteca Stadium fell silent.
Raúl Jiménez Bowed Out with Dignity
To add a bit of drama, in the 69th minute, Raúl Jiménez converted a penalty kick that gave the Mexican team its second goal. However, the squad led by Javier Aguirre was unable to score the third goal that would have tied the game.
It was the last World Cup for Jiménez, the forward who finished the tournament with three goals.
And just as in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, Mexico was eliminated in the Round of 16—except that those tournaments featured 32 teams, unlike the 48 in this edition.
