Five things we learned from England’s win over Mexico
Jude Bellingham netted twice as the Three Lions beat El Tri 3-2 at the Azteca to seal a spot in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals. Here’s what we learned from England vs Mexico
England secured a 3-2 victory against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca to clinch qualification to 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, where they are set to face Norway on Saturday. The Three Lions pulled off a solid outing to overcome the hostile environment and Mexico’s numerical advantage following Jarell Quansah’s sending off early in the second half.
Jude Bellingham bagged a quick brace before Julián Quiñones pulled one back in the first half and Harry Kane converted from the spot a few minutes after England went down to 10 players. Raúl Jiménez also netted from the spot with 20 minutes to go, but Thomas Tuchel’s side managed to soak up Mexico’s pressure in the closing stages and grabbed a historic win.
Here are five things we’ve learned from England’s hard-fought victory in Mexico.
Bellingham thrives when the pressure is highest
Mexico looked dominant for large parts of the first half an hour, with England sitting back and trying to hit on the counter when possible. The Real Madrid midfielder dictated the tempo, drove England forward whenever they needed inspiration and delivered another influential knockout-stage performance. When it mattered most, Bellingham stepped up, provided an extra body in the box and put on his scoring boots, striking twice in a space of just a few minutes to silence the crowd.
Kane scores again
The race for the Golden Boot has been one of the main stories during this World Cup. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are topping the scoring charts with seven goals each, followed by Kane (six), who have now scored in four of England’s five games in the tournament. In fact, the only time the Bayern Munich striker didn’t manage to find the back of the net, the Three Lions were forced to a goalless draw against Ghana, demonstrating his importance in Tuchel’s side.
81 – With another goal and assist today, Harry Kane has now been involved in 81 goals in 63 appearances for club and country in all competitions in 2025-26 (73 goals, 8 assists).
Speechless. pic.twitter.com/1pA5mN3ICP
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2026
Gordon comes to the fore
A slow start to the tournament saw the new Barcelona forward struggling to rediscover his form. Having been subbed off in England’s first two games, he was then an unused sub in their 2-0 victory against Panama in their last games of the group stage. Yet, Gordon bounced back with a brace of assists off the bench against DR Congo before winning a decisive penalty against Mexico when Javier Aguirre’s side were about to pile the pressure on the Three Lions just after Quansah’s sending off.
Most goals involvements for England at the World Cup so far:
◉ 7 – Harry Kane
◎ 5 – Jude Bellingham
◎ 3 – Bukayo Saka
◎ 2 – Anthony Gordon
◎ 1 – Marcus Rashford pic.twitter.com/NgAA6r9ds9— WhoScored (@WhoScored) July 6, 2026
Team shows character with the game on the line
Despite playing with just 10 men for the vast majority of the second half, England demonstrated spectacular cohesion until the final whistle. In fact, Mexico may have recorded over 70 percent of possession after the break, but Tuchel’s team conceded 0.01 non-penalty xG On Target in the second half. This is encouraging news for England fans, as the Three Lions have shown they can rise to the occasion when the pressure is at its greatest – a trait that could prove invaluable in their bid to go all the way.
England conceded 0.01 non-penalty xG On Target in the second half against Mexico.
They played 47 minutes with 10 men 🤯
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) July 6, 2026
England are genuine World Cup contenders
The English side may have hit the ground running with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, but their displays against Ghana, Panama and DR Congo raised concerns about just how strong this team really is. The answer came with a solid performance against a Mexico side, who, playing on home soil, had won all their World Cup games without conceding a single goal prior to the match against England.
England’s route to the World Cup final might now be more open than many may have thought after the group stage was over, as they face a Norway team, who are set to dispute their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. Should they come out victorious from that duel, they will take on the winner of the game between Argentina, who struggled against Cape Verde, or Egypt, who celebrated their first-ever World Cup knockout win against Australia.
