Alan Shearer has proclaimed England's 3-2 victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca — achieved with ten men for more than 40 minutes — as one of the greatest performances in the nation's football history.
Thomas Tuchel's side had struggled in their previous outings, but they arrived in Mexico City for this World Cup round of 16 tie and produced something extraordinary, battling through a hostile atmosphere and a numerical disadvantage to advance to the quarter-finals.
A fast start for England
England were sharp from the first whistle. Jordan Pickford made a low save to deny Mexico their best first-half chance, and England punished that missed opportunity on 36 minutes when a swift counter-attack unfolded: Pickford released Declan Rice, Rice found Bukayo Saka, and Saka's delivery was met by a diving Jude Bellingham — 1-0.
England doubled their advantage almost immediately after the restart. Elliot Anderson intercepted possession deep in Mexico's half and fed Harry Kane, whose low cut-back across the six-yard box was turned in by Bellingham for his second of the night.
Mexico hit back before half time, however. Julian Quinones volleyed home a loose ball from a free kick to make it 2-1, and only another sharp Pickford stop — plus a crucial last-ditch clearance from Bellingham on the resulting corner — preserved England's lead heading into the break.
Red card changes the game
The second half began at the same breathless pace. Nico O'Reilly rattled the post with a volley within five minutes of the restart, but England's task became far harder when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card by referee Alireza Faghani following a pitchside VAR review for a high challenge.
Despite going down to ten men, England extended their lead just four minutes later. Anthony Gordon latched onto a Kane flick, drove into the box, and was fouled by goalkeeper Raul Rangel. Kane stepped up and converted the penalty to make it 3-1.
Mexico draw level — almost
The pressure did not relent. On 67 minutes, Faghani was called to the monitor once more and awarded Mexico a penalty after judging that Kane had caught Brian Gutierrez in a challenge for a bouncing ball inside the England area. Raul Jimenez sent Pickford the wrong way with a stuttering run-up and swept the ball into the bottom corner — 3-2.
England now faced more than 20 minutes of defending with ten men and a single goal to protect, a situation made even more nerve-shredding when the fourth official indicated 11 minutes of added time. Tuchel prowled the touchline in barely concealed panic as substitute John Stones almost bundled a loose ball into his own net in the dying seconds — only for it to drift inches wide.
Shearer's verdict
Speaking as BBC co-commentator during those frantic closing minutes, Shearer said:
