MEXICO CITY (AP) — England handed Mexico its first World Cup defeat at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night, rallying for a 3-2 win that sent the Three Lions into the quarterfinals behind two goals from Jude Bellingham and a Harry Kane penalty while reduced to 10 men.
England will meet Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a place in the semifinals at stake.
Bellingham shook a crowd of more than 80,000 at a ground where Mexico had gone unbeaten across 10 World Cup fixtures, including three wins this year. He headed home in the 36th minute and struck again two minutes later from a Kane pass.
Julián Quiñones replied for El Tri in the 42nd minute. The match tilted toward the hosts when England defender Jarell Quansah was dismissed in the 54th for a dangerous foul on Jesús Gallardo.
England still levelled the contest from the spot after a challenge by Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel. Kane converted for his sixth goal of the tournament and his 14th at World Cups, drawing level with West Germany's Gerd Müller for fifth on the all-time scoring chart. He trails Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland by one goal in the Golden Boot race.
Kane was then penalised for a foul, making him the first player since at least 1966 to score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match. Raúl Jiménez tucked away the kick with a stutter-step run-up to pull Mexico back to 3-2.
El Tri pressed hard through the final 21 minutes and 11 minutes of added time, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and England's defence stood firm.
Mexico has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since it hosted the tournament in 1986. Since then, it has been eliminated in the round of 16 on eight occasions, failed to get past the group stage in 2022 and was disqualified from the 1990 edition.
Syndicated from Jamaica Gleaner · originally published .
