England noticed off an immense challenge from Mexico, beating one of the event co-hosts in their house stadium after seeing one participant despatched off in a game that can go down as one of the best of the 2026 World Cup.
It was a game that had just about the whole lot one may ask for: An electrical ambiance in Estadio Azteca, one of the nice cathedrals of world soccer; two objectives in two minutes from England; a objective from Mexico minutes later that threatened to shake Azteca’s foundations; a crimson card to England’s Jarrell Quansah that pressured his facet to defend a person down for 35 minutes; a penalty to England scored by their captain that rebuilt a two-goal lead; that very same captain then committing a foul that allowed Mexico to drag shut once more; after which near half-hour of Mexico pressuring England in search of an equalizer.
The 3-2 win for the English ensures they’ll play Norway outdoors Miami on Saturday in the quarterfinals after the Norwegians defeated five-time champions Brazil earlier in the day.
Mexico carried the run of play by means of a lot of the opening half of the game, together with some good saves from English keeper Jordan Pickford, nevertheless it was England who would ultimately draw first blood and begin one of the most unimaginable stretches of this event.
Through a slicing run down the proper from Declan Rice, England had the ball in a harmful place. Rice ended his run by laying off to Bukayo Saka, who charged towards the penalty space and lofted a cross into the field.
That ball discovered the head of Jude Bellingham, whose diving header bulged the web and opened the scoring.
And then lightning struck in Mexico City on an evening full of thunderstorms.
Off the ensuing kick, the Mexicans sloppily turned the ball over after Anthony Gordon made a powerful challenge to knock the ball unfastened. England charged down the pitch as the ball popped unfastened to Bellingham. The Real Madrid star performed a give-and-go with captain Harry Kane and obtained the ball again in the heart of the field, sliding it previous the Mexican keeper and into the again of the web for a shock 2-0 lead that got here in all of two minutes.
Mexico needed to have the subsequent objective and, in as entertaining of a interval that this World Cup has seen, they received it. Just 4 minutes after Bellingham’s second, the Mexicans earned a free kick in a harmful spot in the England finish.
The ball was despatched in and headed down. It pinged off a pair of gamers and fell to Julián Quiñones, whose right-footed shot practically ripped by means of the again of the web, such was the energy with which it was hit.
Mexico practically had an equalizer on a number of events earlier than the halftime whistle blew, permitting each groups to catch their breath after a breakneck quarter-hour.
The second half began off on the identical intense foot as England defender Nico O’Reilly hit the publish with a blast from outdoors the field.
Not lengthy after that, a deal with from English defender Jarrell Quansah on Mexico’s Jesús Gallardo – he received the ball however went in along with his studs up and took out the Mexican defender – began the game’s greatest controversy. No foul was known as, however the Mexican workforce was incensed and a conflict between the two groups on the sideline ensued.
The deal with was reviewed and Quansah was given a straight crimson card, and England had been right down to 10 males for the remaining 35 minutes of the match. England supervisor Thomas Tuchel took Saka off and placed on John Stones to shore up his facet’s defensive posture.
It appeared like England would sit again and defend their objective for the remaining interval of the match, after which all of it modified. An extended ball from Pickford made its technique to Gordon, who charged into the field. Mexican keeper Raúl Rangel charged out and collided with Gordon and was instantly whistled for a penalty. Kane stepped as much as the spot and blasted it to the backside left nook previous Rangel to make it 3-1.
A game that had the whole lot served up further surprises a couple of minutes later. Kane went from penalty scorer to committing a foul that led to a Mexico penalty, kicking the leg of Brian Gutiérrez whereas making an attempt to clear the ball. The video assistant referee (VAR) instructed referee Alireza Faghani to take one other have a look at it and the official rapidly dominated it was a penalty.
Raúl Jiménez took the spot kick brilliantly and made it 3-2 in the 69th minute, bringing Mexico again to inside a objective with 20 minutes to play as greater than 80,000 followers 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 positioned Pickford and the English finish underneath siege however couldn’t discover the equalizer.
The closing whistle blew to a surprised Azteca falling silent as “Three Lions” performed over the audio system with the chorus echoing in heartbroken Mexican ears – “It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming home, football’s coming home.”
Two late objectives from Norway’s Erling Haaland on Sunday knocked out mighty Brazil, sending the five-time World Cup champions house in the Round of 16 and advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time.
The first objective, in the 79th minute, broke an extended stalemate as the ascendant Norwegian workforce held off a Brazilian workforce that’s now not the World Cup powerhouse that their followers anticipate them to be. The second, scored along with his left foot, got here proper at the finish of regular time. Brazil scored a penalty in the closing minute of the game, making the closing rating 2-1.
In entrance of a predominantly Brazilian crowd and with the haze of a pre-match pyrotechnic show nonetheless dissipating, Norway appeared to leap out to a lead in the first couple of minutes with a objective by Patrick Berg, nevertheless it was rapidly dominated offside.
A mistake from the Brazilians early on will be lengthy remembered.
The crowd was incensed after Matheus Cunha was taken down by Kristoffer Ajer with no penalty known as. The play was despatched to VAR and the penalty awarded, however the Brazilians in the stands and in the press field had been solely principally placated by this improvement. They needed it awarded unequivocally. No matter. The stutter-step strategy by Bruno Guimãraes on the penalty kick failed anyway and the game remained scoreless into the first hydration break.
The the rest of the first half was underwhelming. This conflict of could-be titans proved to be too evenly matched for a lot motion. Both groups made lots of performs – however failed to complete them.
Brazil received their best alternative since the penalty kick in the sixtieth minute when the 19-year-old Endrick received a transparent run at Norway’s objective simply after changing Cunha. His shot went large, although, and a pair extra makes an attempt by Brazil in the next few minutes had been thwarted by Ørjan Nyland, Norway’s 35-year-old goalkeeper.
Just earlier than the second half hydration break, Neymar subbed in and the Brazilian followers received an opportunity to present a full-throated cheer for the first time in the present day, and the closing time in the event.
But it took till the closing 10 minutes of the game for Haaland, the star Norwegian ahead, to strike and ship his workforce into uncharted World Cup waters.
Haaland’s second objective left the Brazilian workforce determined and tempers flared all through stoppage time. Neymar was concerned 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 just about secured. Time expired seconds later: Norway received.
Both fanbases lingered after the match. The sea of yellow applauding the efforts of the dejected Brazilian gamers who milled about, seemingly unwilling to just accept {that a} match that took so lengthy to essentially get going was over so rapidly.
Across the pitch, the Norwegian workforce gathered in a joyous huddle earlier than assembling themselves in neat rows dealing with their fan part as they ready to row. This time, Haaland himself manned the drum that led the now-famous celebration.
As they rowed in outstanding unison, some of the Brazilian followers scattered all through the stadium, joined in. Inspired, maybe, by Haaland’s unimaginable efficiency to change allegiances.
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