England's round-of-16 encounter with Mexico at the FIFA World Cup produced one of the most dramatic and fiercely debated matches of the tournament, with a penalty awarded against Harry Kane splitting opinion sharply among the BBC's punditry team.

Three big calls, one heated debate

England led 2-1 when Jarrel Quansah was dismissed following a VAR review that confirmed his high sliding challenge on Jesus Gallardo constituted serious foul play. The ten men of England then extended their advantage when Kane converted from the spot after Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area.

However, the match swung further when the referee consulted the pitchside VAR monitor and awarded Mexico a penalty for a challenge by Kane. Raul Jimenez duly stepped up and converted, reducing the deficit to 3-2.

Shearer unconvinced by the call

Alan Shearer was far from persuaded that the decision was correct. "Is that a clear and obvious error made by the referee?" he asked after viewing the replay. Shearer noted the same official had previously held firm against awarding a penalty to Kylian Mbappe in the France vs Senegal fixture, and he maintained that Kane's challenge on the Mexican player did not warrant a spot kick.

Cann and Hart back the referee

BBC referee analyst Darren Cann took the opposite view. "Harry Kane, unfortunately, does kick the Mexican's foot," Cann said. "It's a little bit similar to the Modric kick that England won a penalty for in the first group game, where Harry Kane is unaware of the player coming in. Unfortunately, he does make contact. It is a foul. It's in the penalty box, it's a penalty."

Cann also pointed out that this referee was the only official at the tournament to have previously reviewed footage and then upheld an original decision — the Mbappe penalty shout in the France vs Senegal match — but argued that on this occasion the call to award the penalty was correct.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart sided firmly with Cann. "On all three decisions, I think the referee's come to the right decision," Hart said. "As soon as I saw the replay, my heart was in my mouth. I thought Quansah deserved to go, I thought Kane didn't get anything on the ball, and I thought Gordon got there first."

Hart acknowledged Shearer's conviction but insisted that, in his view, every single decision in the passage of play had been handled correctly by the match officials.