NEWS
Depleted "Three Lions" hold their own against the hosts
Mexico shows tremendous effort but is still eliminated from the World Cup by England. The "Three Lions" have to defend with ten men after a red card for Quansah.
England wins a hard-fought Round of 16 match 3-2 against co-hosts Mexico.
Mexico and England engage in a physical battle in midfield from the start. Apart from a header from Raúl Jiménez, which England keeper Jordan Pickford manages to claw off the line (15'), there are no major scoring opportunities for a long time.
That suddenly changes in the 36th minute. Declan Rice drives the English attack forward and eventually sends Bukayo Saka down the right wing, from where a low cross follows. Although prolific goalscorer Harry Kane is covered, Bellingham finds space behind the Mexican defence and buries the ball into the net with a diving header.
Brace and Counter-punch
The surprisingly quick deficit at this point hits the Mexicans hard. England immediately capitalizes on this uncertainty and makes it 0-2 less than two minutes later. It's Bellingham again, this time assisted by Kane, who taps it in (38').
If the first goal conceded was a punch to the gut, the second English goal acted as a wake-up call for the Mexicans. "El Tri" pins England back, and soon the much-celebrated goal to reduce the deficit arrives. Ezri Konsa fails to clear the free-kick cross effectively and inadvertently sets up Julián Quiñones, who thumps the ball home on the volley from close range (42').
Just before halftime, the "Three Lions" have their goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to thank, as he just manages to parry a powerful header from Jiménez (45'+2).
Straight Red and Two Penalties
The second half begins with two dramatic events. First, Nico O'Reilly for England hits only the post with a long-range shot (50'), but soon after, the Mexicans regain the upper hand. England right-back Jarell Quansah goes in with a high boot on opponent Jesús Gallardo's shin and is shown a straight red card (54').
However, the momentum shifts again. A long ball to Anthony Gordon catches the Mexicans off guard, and goalkeeper Raúl Rangel brings down the Barcelona newcomer in the penalty area. Harry Kane confidently converts the resulting penalty, making it 1-3 for England.
There's also penalty drama at the other end after a VAR intervention. Kane helps out at the back, attempting to clear, but catches Brian Gutierrez on the heel. Raúl Jiménez steps up to take the spot-kick and converts it just as confidently as Kane (69'), with Mexico narrowing the score to 2-3.
Until the final whistle, Mexico pushes the remaining ten Englishmen deep into their own penalty area. Balls fly into the danger zone minute after minute, but the English hold on with their last ounce of strength until the final whistle and advance to the quarter-finals.
