England survive Mexico in Azteca epic to face Norway in quarter-finals

England withstood relentless second-half pressure to defeat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 on Sunday, overcoming a red card and two VAR-awarded penalties to book their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Erling Haaland’s Norway.

In one of the tournament’s most dramatic matches, Thomas Tuchel’s side played the final 36 minutes with 10 men after defender Jarell Quansah was sent off, yet still found enough resilience to end Mexico’s dream of reaching a first World Cup quarter-final since 1986.

Jude Bellingham was England's hero in the opening half, scoring twice in the space of two minutes to stun a partisan crowd of more than 80,000 at Mexico City Stadium.

The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute when Bukayo Saka’s inviting cross sailed beyond Harry Kane and found the unmarked Bellingham, who headed England in front.

Barely two minutes later, the Real Madrid midfielder struck again after combining brilliantly with Kane, calmly finishing to give the Three Lions a commanding 2-0 advantage.

Mexico refused to fold. Julián Quiñones reignited hopes before halftime, volleying home after Roberto Alvarado’s dangerous free-kick caused confusion inside England’s penalty area to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The contest took another dramatic turn nine minutes into the second half when Quansah was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a dangerous tackle on Jesús Gallardo, forcing England to defend with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Despite the setback, England restored their two-goal cushion on the hour mark. Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area, and captain Harry Kane calmly converted from the spot to make it 3-1.

Mexico were handed a lifeline just eight minutes later when VAR awarded them a penalty after Kane clipped Brian Gutiérrez inside the box.

Veteran striker Raúl Jiménez made no mistake from 12 yards, narrowing the score to 3-2 and setting up a frantic finale.

For the remaining 20 minutes, England defended desperately as Mexico launched wave after wave of attacks.

Jordan Pickford produced several crucial saves, while John Stones, Marc Guéhi and substitute Dan Burn threw themselves into countless blocks and clearances to preserve the lead.

The victory sends England into a quarter-final showdown against Norway, who earlier stunned five-time champions Brazil 2-0 thanks to Erling Haaland's second-half brace.

The result also carried symbolic significance.

England finally exorcised painful memories of Mexico City Stadium, where their 1986 World Cup campaign ended in a controversial quarter-final defeat to Argentina.

Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal and his brilliant solo strike condemned Bobby Robson’s side to a 2-1 loss at the then-Estadio Azteca, one of the most famous matches in World Cup history.

Overall, the Three Lions have now enjoyed memorable moments at the iconic stadium.

They defeated France 2-0 there during the group stage of the 1966 World Cup before lifting their only world title, suffered the heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in 1986, and have now returned 40 years later to secure a dramatic victory over hosts Mexico to keep alive hopes of ending 60 years of World Cup hurt.

Awaiting them in the last eight is another formidable test against a Norway team inspired by the tournament’s leading marksman, Haaland, in what promises to be one of the quarter-finals’ most compelling encounters.

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