England survived a major scare to see off one of the three host nations, Mexico, in an all-time World Cup classic. Battling through the altitude and atmosphere of the fearsome Azteca Stadium, the Three Lions booked themselves a place in the quarter-finals.
Facing a massive uphill battle after Jarell Quansah received a red card for a wild challenge in the second half, England had their backs firmly against the wall, but put forth some heroic last-ditch defending to hang on and advance.
They’ll take on Norway in the quarter-finals on July 11, where they’ll face up against Premier League all-stars such as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard – but, for now, let’s all take a quick breather.
Who scored for England?
Jude Bellingham scored twice in two minutes to put England 2-0 up in the first half. For his first goal, he expertly met Bukayo Saka’s cross with a diving header, timing his run to perfection in doing so.
Then, just a few moments later, he turned in a cross from Harry Kane at close range to double the Three Lions’ advantage over Mexico.
Not too long after Quansah’s red card, England were awarded a penalty after Anthony Gordon made a lung-bursting run to get on the end of a smart flick-on by Kane. The Bayern Munich man stepped up and fired the ball into the back of the net to restore England’s two-goal advantage.
Who scored for Mexico?
Despite falling behind by two goals in the first half, Mexico showed some real warrior spirit at the Azteca to battle their way back into the game.
Julian Quinones was the first player to strike back – after a ball was lofted into England’s box, he pounced upon a weak clearance from Ezri Konsa to slam the ball into the back of the net. Jordan Pickford had a decent game, but he had no chance of saving that particular effort.
Mexico then were handed a penalty after Kane was deemed to have fouled Brian Gutierrez in the area. Once again, Pickford was given little chance as Raul Jimenez dispatched his spot-kick as perfectly as one possibly could.
Who was the man of the match?
This one isn’t really up for debate. Jude Bellingham was utterly outstanding against Mexico – we have given him a very rare 10/10 rating for his magnificent display. Thriving within a hostile atmosphere, not only did he score twice, he also put it some colossal defensive actions to keep England alive.
Bellingham showed both class and heart in the early hours of Monday morning. He is everything that England fans could ever hope for – the Real Madrid superstar is a player to be cherished by Three Lions supporters.
England players ratings vs Mexico
GK: Jordan Pickford – 7
RB: Jarell Quansah – 3
CB: Ezri Konsa – 4
CB: Marc Guehi – 6
LB: Nico O’Reilly – 7
CM: Declan Rice – 5
CM: Elliot Anderson – 7
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7
AM: Jude Bellingham – 10
LW: Anthony Gordon – 7
ST: Harry Kane – 7
SUB 1: John Stones – 7
SUB 2: Djed Spence – 7
SUB 3: Dan Burn – 6
SUB 4: Morgan Rogers – N/A