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2026 FIFA World Cup
20JUL

England oust Mexico to reach last eight

2 min read
11:05UTC

Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds and England survived Jarell Quansah's red card to beat co-host Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca and reach the quarter-finals.

SportAssessed
Key takeaway

England beat Mexico 3-2 with ten men to reach the quarter-finals against Norway.

Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds, in the 36th and 38th minutes, as England beat co-host Mexico 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals 1. Harry Kane added a penalty on the hour, and England held on after Jarell Quansah was sent off on a straight red in the 54th minute, setting up a last-eight tie against Norway in Miami on 11 July.

Mexico had won all three group games, the only side in the tournament to manage it, and arrived at their spiritual home unbeaten. Jesus Quinones levelled on 42 minutes and Raul Jimenez converted a 69th-minute penalty, but the co-hosts could not find a third against ten men. England, 2-1 winners over DR Congo in the previous round , saw out the final half-hour a player short.

Bellingham's double, in front of 80,824, was the fastest brace seen at the Azteca since Diego Maradona defined the ground at the 1986 World Cup, 40 years on 2. Thomas Tuchel, England's head coach, said his players had to dig in once reduced to ten, and Quansah's dismissal now rules the defender out of the Norway quarter-final. Mexico, meanwhile, became the second host nation eliminated inside two days, turning the night's attention from the scoreline to the city outside the stadium.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

England had already scored twice before Jarell Quansah was sent off, meaning the referee showed him a straight red card and England had to play the rest of the match with only ten players instead of eleven. Being down to ten men usually makes a side more vulnerable, because the extra work falls on fewer legs. The Estadio Azteca also sits over 2,000 metres above sea level, which makes hard running tougher for visiting teams unused to the thin air. England held on anyway, winning 3-2, and now play Norway in Miami on 11 July for a place in the semi-finals. A quarter-final is the last-eight stage of the tournament, one round before the semi-finals.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Quansah's dismissal caught England two goals clear, not one, meaning Mexico needed two scores rather than a single equaliser to force extra time. That arithmetic, more than any tactical switch, bought Tuchel's side its margin for error.

Mexico's response was to commit extra bodies forward in search of the second goal, which opened the same space behind their back line that Kane exploited from the penalty spot. A chasing team's overcommitment, not England's containment alone, turned a nervy final half-hour into a manageable one.

First Reported In

Update #35 · England oust Mexico; Azteca held safe

BBC Sport· 6 Jul 2026
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