England Secures Thrilling World Cup Win Against Mexico

Jude Bellingham delivered a stunning performance by scoring two goals within 98 seconds. Harry Kane added a crucial penalty as England defeated Mexico 3-2 at Estadio Azteca. This victory marked Mexico’s first World Cup loss at the venue. England now advances to face Norway in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a semifinal spot at stake.

Bellingham’s goals came at a vital time. He scored with a header in the 36th minute and followed with another goal in the 38th minute from a Kane pass, leaving over 80,000 fans astonished. With this result, England broke Mexico’s 10-match World Cup unbeaten streak at Estadio Azteca.

Julian Quiñones netted a goal for Mexico in the 42nd minute, giving the home team hope. The game seemed to shift in Mexico’s favor when England’s Jarell Quansah received a red card in the 54th minute for a foul on Jesús Gallardo.

England, however, was awarded a penalty shortly after. Kane converted, scoring his sixth goal of the tournament and equaling Gerd Müller of West Germany on the all-time World Cup scoring list with his 14th goal. Kane’s performance places him just one goal behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot. He also became the first player since 1966 to score and concede a penalty in the same World Cup match.

Raúl Jiménez brought Mexico closer by converting a penalty, narrowing the score to 3-2 with a distinctive stutter-step approach. In the final 21 minutes and the 11 minutes of stoppage time, Mexico pressed fiercely. Despite their relentless attacks, England’s defense and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford held firm.

Since hosting in 1986, Mexico has struggled to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. Aside from repeated losses in the round of 16, they failed to progress past the group stage in 2022 and were disqualified in 1990.

Additional World Cup coverage from AP available.