England defeated co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash on Sunday, overcoming a fierce challenge and a controversial refereeing decision to book a place in the quarter-finals.
Jude Bellingham starred for the Three Lions with a first-half brace before captain Harry Kane added a second-half penalty as England silenced a partisan crowd at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
A crowd of 80,824, largely made up of home supporters, watched Mexico’s hopes of a historic World Cup triumph end in heartbreaking fashion.
The Real Madrid midfielder opened the scoring in the 36th minute and struck again just two minutes later to hand England a commanding 2-0 lead.
Mexico responded before the break through Julián Quiñones, who pulled one back in the 42nd minute to reduce the deficit and send the hosts into halftime trailing 2-1.
England believed they had restored their three-goal advantage in the 54th minute when Jarrell Quansah found the net, but the goal was disallowed. The incident was followed by further drama as an England defender was shown a red card, reducing the Three Lions to 10 men.
Despite the setback, England extended their lead in the 60th minute when Kane calmly converted a penalty. Mexico, however, refused to surrender and Raúl Jiménez also scored from the spot nine minutes later to set up a tense finale.
England withstood sustained late pressure from the hosts to preserve their 3-2 victory and secure a place in the last eight, where they will face Norway, who earlier stunned Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
