New Delhi: After four consecutive wins at their famed fortress the Azteca, Mexico’s World Cup dreams ended in a tense but heart-breaking 3-2 loss to England early Monday. For the eighth time in their last nine World Cup appearances, they have failed to make it past the Round of 16.
While Mexico controlled the pace of the game and dominated possession (67%), they struggled to create enough high quality chances in open play to test the English backline and beat goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. This is reflected in Expected Goals (xG)—Mexico made 1.88 while England overperformed their 1.61 figure.
Jude Bellingham secured a 2-0 cushion for England by scoring off quick counter-attacks in the 36th and 38th minutes. With just 98 seconds apart, it’s the quickest brace by an England player in World Cup history, and third-quickest overall.
Declan Rice was the architect of the opening goal by making a marauding run exposing gaps in the right side of the Mexican midfield before playing through Saka, who found Bellingham with a deep cross.
The second goal resulted from England’s intense pressing as Elliott Anderson dispossessed Gilberto Mora and quickly passed it to Anthony Gordon. This caused chaos in the Mexican backline as Bellingham offered an outlet to Gordon and set up a give-and-go with Harry Kane.
Mexico’s star attacker Julian Quinones made it 2-1 from a set-piece in the 42nd minute. But Bellingham prevented an equaliser at the end of the half during a Mexico corner with a last-ditch defensive clearance away from Cesar Montes.
It risked being a long night for England when Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for a dangerous slide tackle on Jesus Gallardo. But it was Mexico again who had no answer to England’s intensity in transition.
A threatening long ball from Pickford easily found Kane, who flicked it to Gordon. Now marshalled by substitute Edson Alvarez in place of Montes, the Mexican defence was swiftly bypassed by a classic route one move.
Having not been tested a great deal in this tournament till then, Mexico’s goalkeeper Raul Rangel unsuccessfully challenged Gordon in a rush of blood, conceding a penalty that Kane dispatched to restore England’s two-goal cushion.
Mexico got a penalty of their own when Kane fouled Brian Gutierrez while attempting a defensive clearance in the 69th minute. Raul Jimenez converted it, but that was the last of any real Mexican scoring threat.
Thomas Tuchel subbed on Djed Spence for Nico O’Reilly to protect the left side, as well as John Stones and Dan Burn to add reinforcements in central defence. It worked as Mexico appeared to lose any sense of attacking coherence against England’s low block, especially since Quinones was no longer afforded space to run in behind defenders via long balls.
Given the English increasingly tiring in the second half and no longer offering any attacking threat, the situation for Mexico called for patient build-up play and calmness and composure on the ball. With a bit more incisive passing and clarity of thought, Mexico could have induced more defensive errors from England.
But Mexico appeared frenetic and panicked, simply throwing outfielders into the box and mindlessly attempting aerial crosses from Gallardo on the left and Roberto Alvarado on the right. All England needed to do was maintain their defensive shape, positional discipline and block shots and clear the ball away.
Aided by Stones and Burn, England did so with aplomb as the pattern of crosses, especially from Gallardo, were wayward and predictable. Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre’s substitutions were largely ineffective, failing to capitalise on the space offered out wide from England’s compact shape.
In the days prior, England needed to physically acclimatise to Azteca’s high altitude—2,240 metres above sea level—which hastens fatigue and requires making major stylistic adjustments over the course of a match.
Yet, despite being a man down amid thousands of booing Mexicans, it was the English who repeatedly came up trumps as the mentality monsters—as if they were the home side repeatedly punishing Mexican mistakes.
