England hold off Mexico in drama-filled encounter to make quarter-finals

Following an hour delay, the opening 15 minutes were a tense affair played in an electrifying atmosphere in the Mexican capital. The ground almost took off completely when Raul Jimenez’s excellent close-range diving header was thwarted by a magnificent save from Jordan Pickford at his near post.

At the other end, England’s first opportunity arrived shortly after the hydration break, as Anthony Gordon did brilliantly to keep the ball in play before his eventual effort was comfortably saved by Raul Rangel.

However, the dynamic of the game soon shifted drastically, stunning the home crowd into silence. After 36 minutes, a cross from Bukayo Saka found Jude Bellingham, who made no mistake to head the ball home and edge the Three Lions in front.

And the situation got even worse for the co-hosts, as Bellingham pounced again two minutes later, meeting a square pass from Harry Kane to slot the ball into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Remarkably, the drama didn’t end there as El Tri halved the deficit before the interval through Julian Quinones, who rifled the ball past Pickford, drawing him level as Mexico’s leading all-time WC goalscorer and sending the stadium wild. 

In an enthralling match, Mexico came desperately close to levelling the game before HT, yet Pickford pulled off an outstanding save to tip Jimenez’s headed effort over the bar.

The start of the second half was no less eventful, and a bright start from Thomas Tuchel’s side was almost rewarded when Nico O'Reilly’s deflected shot struck the post.

The volume of the crowd shot right back up moments later, with the Three Lions reduced to 10 men after Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge following VAR intervention. Yet despite that setback, England regained their two-goal cushion on the hour mark thanks to a calmly converted Kane penalty, following a foul on Gordon by Rangel. 

The next twist in the match materialised at the midway point of the second half, when Mexico were awarded a penalty following further VAR intervention after a foul committed by Kane. Jimenez stepped up to take the spot-kick and steered the ball home to get El Tri back in contention. 

Mexico threw absolutely everything at the England defence in the closing stages, but despite their best efforts, the Three Lions clung on to win an instant classic WC match. England will now meet Norway in the last eight on Saturday at the Miami Stadium, continuing their quest to end 60 years of hurt.

Meanwhile, El Tri fans are left to reflect on the end of their 12-match unbeaten run, which extends their wait for a first quarter-final appearance since last hosting in 1986.