Seven chaotic moments that defined England’s heroic World Cup win over Mexico | OneFootball

Somehow, someway England reached the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals with a hugely dramatic 3-2 triumph over Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca.

It was a beautifully chaotic contest from before kick-off until well after the final whistle blew and England will face Erling Haaland’s Norway – after they stunned five-time world champions Brazil – in the last eight as a reward.

Jude Bellingham was masterful, while Harry Kane was typically impactful but Jordan Henderson and Jarell Quansah endured bittersweet evenings despite the Three Lions securing one of their greatest World Cup wins.

Here are seven moments that defined England’s chaotic win at the Azteca:

Electrical storm delays kick-off

Before the match even started, there was drama, with kick-off delayed by an hour due to an electrical storm in the surrounding area. Under tournament safety rules, any lightning strikes detected within eight miles of the stadium result in an automatic 30-minute delay to play,

The last-16 tie was due to kick-off at 6pm local time (1am BST) but due to the severe weather, that was changed to 7pm local time (2am BST).The first rumblings of a thunderstorm had started around 2:30pm local time, while fans were not permitted entry into the 80,000-seater stadium at 3pm due to heavy rain, thunder and lightning. The stadium's specific electrical storm protocol was enacted, advising fans and officials to take cover.

This came two days after Fifa considered shifting the kick-off time to midday, due to severe weather on the forecast but then backtracked after complaints from both FAs over not being consulted on the decision. At midday, it was sunny and dry in Mexico City.

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Storms delayed kick-off at the Azteca (Getty)

Bellingham’s quickfire double

After England successfully saw out the first half an hour, they soon entered dreamland, with Jude Bellingham stamping his authority on the game and once again proving his ability to shine on the biggest stage.

Firstly, on 36 minutes, Jordan Pickford launched an attack that ended with Bukayo Saka clipping in a cross that Bellingham headed home. Then, less than two minutes later, Harry Kane looked set to shoot, only to square for the Real Madrid midfielder to tap home. England suddenly had a 2-0 lead.

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Jude Bellingham grabbed a first-half double (Reuters)

Mexico pull goal back in onslaught to end first half

The hosts were soon back in the contest as Julian Quinones lashed home when England failed to deal with a free-kick and they then peppered Pickford’s goal in the minutes before half-time.

Raul Jimenez fired millimetres wide, Pickford brilliantly tipped another effort from the Mexican star over the bar and Bellingham produced one of the great defensive moments of this World Cup when he somehow got back to flick the ball away from Cesar Montes as he was about to tap in. The Three Lions had somehow survived until half-time with their lead intact.

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Julian Quinones fired Mexico level (Getty)

Quansah red card leaves England short-handed

The break settled England but the game flipped on 54 minutes when Jarell Quansah made a sliding tackle on Jesus Gallardo. The referee, Alireza Faghani, let play go on but Gallardo lay injured as the Mexican staff and substitutes were furious on the touchline near the incident.

And when the video assistant referee called Faghani to review the footage on his pitch-side monitor, England feared the worst. The Australian-Iranian referee duly showed Quansah a straight red card for violent conduct, after replays confirmed the right-back had slid over the top of the ball and put studs on to the leg of Gallardo in a dangerous manner.

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Jarell Quansah was sent off (AP)

Kane converts penalty to restore two-goal lead

The 10 men could have wilted in the Azteca intensity but instead they responded well to having a man disadvantage, with John Stones coming on for Saka to bolster the backline. And just six minutes after the red card, England were two goals to the good once more.

The impressive Anthony Gordon burst into the box, flicked the ball past Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel and was brought down by the stopper, with Faghani pointing to the spot. Kane took a deep breath, steadied himself and fired the penalty into the corner for a 3-1 lead.

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Harry Kane fired England 3-1 ahead from the penalty spot (Getty)

Mexico score spot-kick of their own and throw the kitchen sink at England

Job done for England at that point? Not a bit of it... On 69 minutes, the VAR sent Faghani to the monitor for a penalty review and Kane was adjudged to have caught Brian Guiterrez while clearing the ball, in a ticky-tacky call. Pickford went the right way but Jimenez’s spot-kick was just beyond him.

That left England with 20 minutes, plus a further 11 minutes of injury time, to hold on to the lead and Tuchel told his troops to batten down the hatches with Dan Burn and Djed Spence sent on to bolster the defensive effort. An increasingly desperate Mexico threw the kitchen sink at their opponents but Pickford commanded his area brilliantly, defenders put their bodies on the line and England clung on to book a quarter-final spot.

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Jordan Pickford commanded his area (Getty)

The drama didn’t end there, with plenty of points of interest coming after the full-time whistle. Kane caused much hilarity by roaring himself hoarse during the celebrations and trying to give a post-match interview, when he had lost his voice.

In less light-hearted news however, Jordan Henderson suffered a freak injury when he fell over the advertising hoardings during the celebrations. He appeared to injure his arm and Tuchel admitted afterwards it didn’t look good. The veteran midfielder stayed in Mexico City with a member of the medical team while the rest of the squad returned to Kansas City and there are fears that his World Cup is over.