England pulled off a remarkable 3-2 victory over Mexico in Mexico City, overcoming a hostile crowd, the altitude of the Azteca Stadium, and Jarell Quansah’s red card to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. The match began an hour late after a thunderstorm triggered the stadium’s lightning protocol, delaying the 1am BST kick-off to 2am. The delay added to a night already charged off the pitch: Keir Starmer had intervened days earlier to stop FIFA moving the kick-off forward, the UK government blocking a change that would have given England less time to acclimatise to the high altitude. The outgoing prime minister also pushed through emergency legislation to allow pubs to stay open late for the tie.
On the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s side used a phased approach that assistant coach Anthony Barry described as “five smaller games.” England were more measured defensively, taking an average of 37 seconds to recover the ball in the first half, up from 12.1 seconds in their first four games. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and an extra forward cut off Mexico’s build-up, while Elliot Anderson dropped deep to prevent easy outlet passes. Tuchel had warned his players to be “smart and pick the right moments” in their press, and despite a red card that left them with 10 men, they clung on for victory.
“England beat Mexico 3-2 after storm delay, altitude, and red card, with Starmer blocking FIFA kick-off change.”
Jude Bellingham scored a quickfire brace and Harry Kane added a penalty, while dogged defending secured the win. The result sets up a quarter-final against Norway in Miami on Saturday. Tuchel’s belief that England can win the World Cup was fuelled by the performance, though he voiced concerns about “erratic” officiating. John Stones has already fired a warning to former Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland ahead of the clash.