Former England striker Wayne Rooney has said that England have produced 'one of their greatest ever performances' in order to beat Mexico in a nail-biting thriller, survive the second round of knockouts, and reach the quarter finals of the 2026 World Cup.
In one of the most dramatic matches of the World Cup so far, a 10 men England squad sent Mexico packing on home soil at the controversial Azteca Stadium in Mexico.
England scored three goals in the match, Jude Bellingham scored his first in the 36th minute with a header, leaving barely a breath between his first and second as he found the net again in the 38th minute with a beautiful through ball from Harry Kane. There was only 98 seconds between the goals.
Two second-half penalties followed, one for either side, with England's leading goalscorer Kane firing the shot left, placing it straight into the back of the net. The link between Kane and Bellingham just proved too strong for the Mexican side.
The thrillingly close encounter really had no shortage of action, with five goals, a straight red card, six yellows, two second-half penalties and plenty of chaos. But, in the end, it was England who narrowly escaped, leaving El Tri heartbroken.
Rooney has lots of praise for the England squad. He said: "the whole England team" were excellent out in Mexico City, but who he really wanted to point out was Arsenal midfielder Rice.
"The whole team were excellent but the big players stood up tonight -- Jordan Pickford had his best game and the two centre backs were really good, ahead of the defence Declan Rice was excellent and Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane really turned up tonight.
"We sat in and I was worried we went too deep too early but they put bodies on the line, they were all oustanding and I thought we deserved it, we were the better team.
"That was one of England's greatest results and performances," Rooney said.
He added: "The attitude, the grit, the desire -- they had it all."
England seem to have poor luck with their right-backs as Jarrell Quansah was the man to take the red. The moment was compared to Rooney being sent off in a very similar scenario against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup.
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Mexico has lost on home soil before, but their record at the historic Estadio Azteca is legendary. Out of 89 official competitive matches played there since 1966, El Tri have won 70 games, securing a dominant 78.6% win ratio and a staggering 97.7% unbeaten record.
Only Costa Rica in 2001 and Honduras in 2013 have ever managed to defeat Mexico in a competitive fixture inside their iconic fortress.
The team have overcome so much adversity, with so much going against them. Members of the England squad spoke to reporters about it post-match.
"The occasion, the team, everything against us, we found a way," England captain Harry Kane said.
Following this, England head coach Thomas Tuchel praised his squad: "If a team has heart and belief, then it's this team."
He added: "They did it on pure will. No words. That's an iconic match, an iconic stadium. We overcame so much adversity. Very proud."
Man of the match and England's star man Jude Bellingham also had a few comments to make after he produced one his best international performances of his career, scoring two out of the three goals as well as putting in an absolute shift in defense.
Bellingham said: "It's the best night of my England career. Just unbelievable. I can't put it into words right now.
"This is the thing I dream of being a part of this England squad -- bringing my country together, giving them nights like this that they will enjoy for many years to come."
He added: "I am so proud of this team. What we have done is spectacular."
Bellingham made history in this match as he's now the youngest ever European player to play at 4 different major tournaments, scoring at three major tournaments for England -- here's a gentle reminder that he's only 22-years-old.
Not to mention Bellingham is the first player to score two goals at the Azteca Stadium in a World Cup match since Diego Maradona in Argentina's semi final against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup.
England will now clash with Norway in the World Cup quarter finals taking place on Saturday 11th July at 10.00 p.m. at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
