*This content was translated by AI.
It was a legendary match. After a fierce contest, the home of football defeated the host nation at the World Cup.
On the morning of the 6th (Korean time), England defeated Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup held at Mexico City Stadium.
Trailing in numbers after Zaire Cozens (Bayer Leverkusen) was sent off just nine minutes into the second half, England secured a narrow one-goal victory thanks to Jude Bellingham's (Real Madrid) multi-goal performance and Harry Kane's penalty kick winning goal.
Having successfully reached the quarter-finals for the third consecutive World Cup, England will face Norway, led by Erling Haaland (Manchester City), who has scored seven goals in this tournament.
Mexico, which had won all its matches without conceding a goal up to the Round of 32, including a 1-0 victory over South Korea's national team in the group stage, met the favorite England and suffered their first defeat of the tournament, marking their elimination. This is the second host nation to be eliminated from the North American World Cup after Canada.
The match began an hour later than scheduled due to severe weather conditions accompanied by lightning.
Mexico, leveraging their high-altitude advantage, dominated the early stages with strong pressure, but England scored first. In the 36th minute of the first half, Declan Rice advanced from the center, and Bukayo Saka delivered a cross from the right flank, which Bellingham connected with a diving header to give Mexico their first goal against them in this tournament.
Momentum shifted to England, and in the 38th minute of the first half, Bellingham received a pass from Kane during a counter-attack and scored an additional goal with a right-footed shot amidst chaos in front of the goal, extending the lead to 2-0.
Mexico quickly retaliated. In the 42nd minute of the first half, Julian Quiñones finished off a loose ball from a free-kick situation with a powerful right-footed shot to reduce the deficit by one goal. During stoppage time in the first half, Raul Jimenez's decisive header and Cesar Montes' shot were saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and blocked by Bellingham's physical defense.
England led 2-1 at halftime.
Bad news struck England early in the second half. In the 8th minute, Cozens committed a harsh tackle on Jesus Gallardo during defense and was shown a direct red card after video assistant referee (VAR) review. England immediately substituted Saka for John Stones to adjust their defensive numbers.
Despite being down in numbers, England scored another goal. In the 13th minute of the second half, Anthony Gordon penetrated behind the defense and drew a foul from goalkeeper Raul Langel, earning a penalty kick. Kane, taking the spot-kick, calmly converted to make it 3-1.
In the 21st minute of the second half, Mexico's Jimenez scored from a penalty kick awarded due to a foul by Kane, closing the gap once again. Although Mexico utilized all their attacking cards until the end and launched an offensive barrage, they could not break through England's wall, which increased its defensive numbers and responded with physical defense. Ultimately, the match ended with a 3-2 victory for England.
Having defeated host nation Mexico and secured a spot in the quarter-finals, England will compete for a place in the semi-finals against Norway, who advanced after defeating Brazil 2-1.
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*This content was translated by AI.
