Mexico 2-3 England: Bellingham Brace and Pickford Heroics Send 10-Man England into Quarter-Finals
The Estadio Azteca has broken plenty of visiting teams, but not this England. In a Round of 16 tie that swung wildly across 90 breathless minutes, the Three Lions beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 on 5 July 2026 — riding a first-half Jude Bellingham brace, a Harry Kane penalty, a red card, and a string of Jordan Pickford saves to book a quarter-final place.
First half: Bellingham strikes twice, Mexico hit back
Bellingham needed only minutes to score twice, his quickfire double briefly silencing a crowd of more than 80,000 that had booed England’s every touch. But the hosts refused to fold: Julián Quiñones pulled one back before the interval, and Thomas Tuchel’s side went in leading 2-1 with the tie very much alive.
Second half: chaos at 2,200 metres
The twist arrived in the 54th minute. After a VAR review, defender Jarell Quansah was shown a red card for a studs-up challenge on Jesús Gallardo, reducing England to ten men with more than half an hour to play. Remarkably, the ten men struck next: Anthony Gordon won a penalty, and on the hour mark Kane stepped up and buried it to restore the two-goal cushion at 3-1 — the captain delivering, again, when it mattered most.
Mexico smelled blood, and Raúl Jiménez converted a VAR-awarded penalty in the 69th minute to make it 3-2. What followed was pure siege football. Wave after wave of green shirts poured forward, and it was Pickford who kept England alive, producing key saves as the ten men clung on through a nerve-shredding finale.
What it means: the quarter-final path
England march into the last eight with arguably their most character-defining win of the Tuchel era — hostile crowd, altitude, a man down, and a co-host throwing everything at them. Bellingham’s brace confirmed his status as one of the tournament’s dominant midfielders, while Kane quietly keeps stacking World Cup goals.
Next up: a quarter-final against Norway, who stunned Brazil in the same round — one of several upsets reshaping England’s half of the draw. Full quarter-final schedule and kick-off times are on our fixtures page.
For Mexico, heartbreak — but no shame. El Tri fought to the final whistle in front of their own fans, and the Azteca gave its team a send-off worthy of the fight they showed.
Follow every knockout-round story in our match report section, and track the remaining ties live on our live scores page.
Disclaimer: This report is based on information available at full time; minor statistics may be updated once official match data is confirmed.
