England secured a 3-2 victory over Mexico on Sunday night at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals. The win marked Mexico’s first World Cup loss at the stadium, where they had remained unbeaten in 10 previous matches, including three in this tournament. England will face Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, competing for a place in the semifinals.

Jude Bellingham was the standout performer early in the match, scoring two goals just 98 seconds apart in the 36th and 38th minutes. His first goal came from a header, stunning the crowd of over 80,000, while the second was set up by a pass from Harry Kane. Mexico responded in the 42nd minute when Julián Quiñones found the net, briefly shifting momentum toward the home side.

The match took a crucial turn in the 54th minute when England’s Jarell Quansah was sent off following a dangerous foul on Jesús Gallardo, reducing the Three Lions to 10 players. Despite this disadvantage, England was awarded a penalty six minutes later after a challenge by Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel on a player in the box. Kane converted the spot-kick, scoring his sixth goal of the tournament and the 14th of his World Cup career, placing him among the top World Cup scorers historically.

Shortly after, Kane committed a foul that led to a penalty for Mexico, becoming the first player since at least 1966 to both score a goal and concede a penalty in the same World Cup game. Raúl Jiménez successfully converted the penalty in the 69th minute, narrowing the deficit to 3-2.

Mexico pressed forward relentlessly for the remaining 21 minutes of regular time plus 11 minutes of stoppage, but England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and his defensive unit managed to hold their lead. Despite the home crowd’s support, Mexico was unable to find an equalizer.

This result ended Mexico’s bid to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since the 1986 World Cup, which they hosted. Since then, Mexico has faced a series of early exits, including eight round-of-16 losses, a failure to advance from the group stages in 2022, and disqualification from the 1990 tournament.

England’s victory was notable not only for overcoming a numerical disadvantage but also for handing Mexico a rare home defeat at an iconic venue. The team now looks ahead to their quarterfinal clash against Norway as they seek to progress deeper into the tournament.