England stuns Mexico 3-2 in instant World Cup classic, hands team first World Cup loss at Estadio Azteca
One of the tournament's instant classics unfolded Sunday at the historic Estadio Azteca, where 87,500 screaming fans created a deafening atmosphere.
England weathered the storm, silencing the sea of green with a ruthless finishing display to escape with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane combined to crush El Tri's World Cup dreams. El Tri is a popular nickname for the Mexican men's national team.
In a stunning two-minute span in the first half, Bellingham struck twice, leaving Mexico's defense completely shell-shocked.
But before halftime, Julian Quinones gave El Tri a lifeline. He buried a clutch goal, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
The second half was as electric as the first.
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In the 53rd minute, England went down to 10 men after Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card. Suddenly, the momentum appeared to swing in Mexico's favor.
Instead of capitalizing on the numerical advantage, however, Mexico gifted England a golden opportunity.
Goalkeeper Raul Rangel recklessly brought down Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area, conceding a spot kick. Captain Harry Kane calmly stepped up and buried the penalty, restoring England's two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Still, Mexico refused to fold.
In the 69th minute, the referee pointed to the spot once again, awarding Mexico a penalty after another frantic sequence inside England's box.
Raul Jimenez confidently converted, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and setting up an edgy finish.
From there, England dug in, despite being down to 10 men. England absorbed wave after wave of Mexican pressure before hanging on for a gritty 3-2 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals against Norway.
England booked its place in the quarterfinals and handed Mexico its first-ever World Cup defeat at the Estadio.
Traveling England supporters celebrated by belting out "Wonderwall" one more time.
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