England went into one of soccer's most intimidating venues, took an early grip on the game and then survived a nervous, controversial finish to knock the host nation out of its own World Cup.
Bellingham sets the tone
The match turned on a short, brilliant spell from Jude Bellingham, who scored twice in quick succession in the first half to put England in command, Yahoo Sports reported. The Real Madrid midfielder, one of the tournament's standout players, ran the game in its opening stretch, and Harry Kane added a third from the penalty spot to give England a cushion it would need.
Playing at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, at an altitude of more than 7,000 feet and against a partisan home crowd, England looked, for a while, comfortable.
A red card and a rally
It did not stay that way. England's Jarell Quansah was sent off, leaving the team to play much of the second half a man short, and Mexico seized the opening, scoring twice to cut the lead to 3-2 and set up a tense final stretch. England held firm to see it out.
The finish left England's manager, Thomas Tuchel, angry at the refereeing rather than relieved. He criticized the officials sharply afterward, saying they were "just not good enough" and that "everything went against us," Yahoo Sports reported. He also praised his players' resolve, saying that when "the going gets tough, they never give up."
Heartbreak for the hosts
For Mexico, the defeat is a painful end to a tournament it had hoped to ride deep on home soil. Co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Canada, Mexico had the backing of enormous crowds, and the Azteca is a fortress that has humbled many visitors over the decades. This time the visitors held their nerve.
On to Norway
England's reward is a quarterfinal against Norway, the team that stunned Brazil earlier in the round behind an Erling Haaland brace. It sets up a heavyweight meeting between Bellingham and Haaland, two of the sport's brightest young stars, with a place in the semifinals at stake.
England will take confidence from having won an away-from-home knockout tie, under pressure and down a man, at one of the game's great arenas. The manner of it, and the officiating that so annoyed Tuchel, will be argued over. The result will not: England is through, and Mexico's home World Cup is over.
