Jude Bellingham scored twice in two first‑half minutes to put England on course for a 3‑2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, but the victory was quickly overshadowed by Thomas Tuchel’s blistering attack on the officials. The England manager, whose side played 45 minutes with 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s red card, said the refereeing was “just not good enough” and questioned the VAR decisions that he felt had threatened his team’s passage to the World Cup quarter‑finals.
Quansah was sent off following a video review for a high challenge, and Harry Kane later conceded a penalty after kicking Brian Gutierrez in the box – both calls that Tuchel argued were not clear and obvious errors. “Three people in the VAR from South America in a match like this, if this is correct, VAR overturns … is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not,” Tuchel said. “They overturned a situation where he doesn’t even give a foul. Referees just not good enough, fourth officials just not good enough.”
“England beat Mexico 3-2 in a thriller but Thomas Tuchel's furious attack on the referee sparks debate with Joe Hart.”
But former England goalkeeper Joe Hart hit back, telling the German coach he had “got that wrong”. Hart, who earned 75 caps for England, said: “I don’t know why he has gone so hard on that after such an impressive performance. I get it, against all the odds the red card and the penalties, but I don’t think they were borderline decisions. I thought they were decent decisions in the end.”
Tuchel’s frustration extended beyond the pitch. He also expressed consternation over the decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one‑match ban for a year, a move that followed US President Donald Trump’s call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Who overturns this decision then and when? And on what grounds? How far does this go now? This is strange for me,” Tuchel said.
On the field, England had taken control through Bellingham’s double – the Real Madrid midfielder producing what BBC Sport’s Alex Howell called “another iconic performance” – before Quansah’s dismissal and the subsequent penalty allowed Mexico to pull one back. Jordan Pickford made crucial saves, Marc Guehi stood firm, and Nico O’Reilly delivered his best performance of the tournament, hitting the post with a volley. But the talking point after the final whistle was whether Tuchel’s energy had been misdirected against a backdrop of heroic effort from his players.