By Kede Aihie
Ten-man England dig deep to book Norway quarter-final
England had to fight for every inch, and they did. Down to 10 men, roared on by a raucous Mexican crowd, England edged a wild 3-2 win to reach the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.
England started cautious. The altitude and the atmosphere in the iconic stadium made the first 20 minutes tough. Anthony Gordon admitted as much afterwards, but he was England’s outlet all night and constantly threatened Mexico down the left.
The breakthrough came out of nowhere. Bukayo Saka whipped in a beautiful cross that Jude Bellingham attacked with a brilliant header. 94 seconds later, Bellingham turned provider. A sharp flick from captain Harry Kane found him, and he made it 2-0.
Mexico hit back. A Kane clearance led to a penalty, and England defender Quan was sent off. From 2-0 and a man up, it was suddenly 2-1 and down to 10.
England didn’t buckle. Kane’s clever flick released Gordon, who was brought down by the Mexican goalkeeper. Kane stepped up and converted to make it 3-2.
It was a crazy game. End-to-end, hostile crowd, red card, late drama. Exactly the kind of night World Cups are made for.
Next up: England face Norway in the quarter-finals.
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