England sees off an immense challenge from Mexico in what may be the best game of the 2026 World Cup
(CNN) — England saw off an immense challenge from Mexico, beating one of the tournament co-hosts in their home stadium after seeing one player sent off in a game that will go down as one of the best of the 2026 World Cup.
It was a game that had pretty much everything one could ask for: An electric atmosphere in Estadio Azteca, one of the great cathedrals of world soccer; two goals in two minutes from England; a goal from Mexico minutes later that threatened to shake Azteca’s foundations; a red card to England’s Jarrell Quansah that forced his side to defend a man down for 35 minutes; a penalty to England scored by their captain that rebuilt a two-goal lead; that same captain then committing a foul that allowed Mexico to pull close again; and then close to 30 minutes of Mexico pressuring England in search of an equalizer.
The 3-2 win for the English ensures they’ll play Norway outside Miami on Saturday in the quarterfinals after the Norwegians defeated five-time champions Brazil earlier in the day.
Mexico carried the run of play through much of the opening half of the game, including some brilliant saves from English keeper Jordan Pickford, but it was England who would eventually draw first blood and start one of the most incredible stretches of this tournament.
Through a cutting run down the right from Declan Rice, England had the ball in a dangerous position. Rice ended his run by laying off to Bukayo Saka, who charged toward the penalty area and lofted a cross into the box.
That ball found the head of Jude Bellingham, whose diving header bulged the net and opened the scoring.
And then lightning struck in Mexico City on a night full of thunderstorms.
Off the ensuing kick, the Mexicans sloppily turned the ball over after Anthony Gordon made a strong challenge to knock the ball loose. England charged down the pitch as the ball popped loose to Bellingham. The Real Madrid star played a give-and-go with captain Harry Kane and received the ball back in the center of the box, sliding it past the Mexican keeper and into the back of the net for a shock 2-0 lead that came in all of two minutes.
Mexico had to have the next goal and, in as entertaining of a period that this World Cup has seen, they got it. Just four minutes after Bellingham’s second, the Mexicans earned a free kick in a dangerous spot in the England end.
The ball was sent in and headed down. It pinged off a couple of players and fell to Julián Quiñones, whose right-footed shot nearly ripped through the back of the net, such was the power with which it was hit.
Mexico nearly had an equalizer on multiple occasions before the halftime whistle blew, allowing both teams to catch their breath after a breakneck 15 minutes.
The second half started off on the same intense foot as England defender Nico O’Reilly hit the post with a blast from outside the box.
Not long after that, a tackle from English defender Jarrell Quansah on Mexico’s Jesús Gallardo – he won the ball but went in with his studs up and took out the Mexican defender – started the game’s biggest controversy. No foul was called, but the Mexican team was incensed and a clash between the two teams on the sideline ensued.
The tackle was reviewed and Quansah was given a straight red card, and England were down to 10 men for the remaining 35 minutes of the match. England manager Thomas Tuchel took Saka off and put on John Stones to shore up his side’s defensive posture.
It seemed like England would sit back and defend their goal for the remaining period of the match, and then it all changed. A long ball from Pickford made its way to Gordon, who charged into the box. Mexican keeper Raúl Rangel charged out and collided with Gordon and was immediately whistled for a penalty. Kane stepped up to the spot and blasted it to the bottom left corner past Rangel to make it 3-1.
A game that had everything served up additional surprises a few minutes later. Kane went from penalty scorer to committing a foul that led to a Mexico penalty, kicking the leg of Brian Gutiérrez while trying to clear the ball. The video assistant referee (VAR) told referee Alireza Faghani to take another look at it and the official quickly ruled it was a penalty.
Raúl Jiménez took the spot kick brilliantly and made it 3-2 in the 69th minute, bringing Mexico back to within a goal with 20 minutes to play as more than 80,000 fans in attendance shook the Azteca.
From there, it was a Mexican attacking onslaught as England tried to harden its defensive shell and see out the match. El Tri largely placed Pickford and the English end under siege but could not find the equalizer.
The final whistle blew to a stunned Azteca falling silent as “Three Lions” played over the speakers with the refrain echoing in heartbroken Mexican ears – “It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming home, football’s coming home.”
Norway stuns Brazil to move to quarterfinals for the first time
Two late goals from Norway’s Erling Haaland on Sunday knocked out mighty Brazil, sending the five-time World Cup champions home in the Round of 16 and advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time.
The first goal, in the 79th minute, broke a long stalemate as the ascendant Norwegian team held off a Brazilian team that is no longer the World Cup powerhouse that their fans expect them to be. The second, scored with his left foot, came right at the end of normal time. Brazil scored a penalty in the final minute of the game, making the final score 2-1.
In front of a predominantly Brazilian crowd and with the haze of a pre-match pyrotechnic display still dissipating, Norway seemed to leap out to a lead in the first few minutes with a goal by Patrick Berg, but it was quickly ruled offside.
A mistake from the Brazilians early on will be long remembered.
The crowd was incensed after Matheus Cunha was taken down by Kristoffer Ajer with no penalty called. The play was sent to VAR and the penalty awarded, but the Brazilians in the stands and in the press box were only mostly placated by this development. They wanted it awarded unequivocally. No matter. The stutter-step approach by Bruno Guimãraes on the penalty kick failed anyway and the game remained scoreless into the first hydration break.
The remainder of the first half was underwhelming. This clash of could-be titans proved to be too evenly matched for much action. Both teams made plenty of plays – but failed to finish them.
Brazil got their best opportunity since the penalty kick in the 60th minute when the 19-year-old Endrick got a clear run at Norway’s goal just after replacing Cunha. His shot went wide, though, and a couple more attempts by Brazil in the following few minutes were thwarted by Ørjan Nyland, Norway’s 35-year-old goalkeeper.
Just before the second half hydration break, Neymar subbed in and the Brazilian fans got a chance to give a full-throated cheer for the first time today, and the final time in the tournament.
But it took until the final 10 minutes of the game for Haaland, the star Norwegian forward, to strike and deliver his team into uncharted World Cup waters.
Haaland’s second goal left the Brazilian team desperate and tempers flared throughout stoppage time. Neymar was involved in some shoving on the pitch and even after he scored on the penalty kick was seen jawing at Nyland. Norway’s goalkeeper was unbothered, smiling down at the legend of the sport. Even with their lead halved, a victory was virtually secured. Time expired seconds later: Norway won.
Both fanbases lingered after the match. The sea of yellow applauding the efforts of the dejected Brazilian players who milled about, seemingly unwilling to accept that a match that took so long to really get going was over so quickly.
Across the pitch, the Norwegian team gathered in a joyous huddle before assembling themselves in neat rows facing their fan section as they prepared to row. This time, Haaland himself manned the drum that led the now-famous celebration.
As they rowed in remarkable unison, some of the Brazilian fans scattered throughout the stadium, joined in. Inspired, perhaps, by Haaland’s incredible performance to switch allegiances.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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