Mexico's Round of 16 Curse Continues as Bellingham Brace Sends Ten-Man England to Quarter-Finals

Mexico's Round of 16 Curse Continues as Bellingham Brace Sends Ten-Man England to Quarter-Finals

The game exploded into life in six mad first-half minutes. Bukayo Saka surged forward on the counterattack and chipped a cross into the box, where Bellingham met it with a diving header at the far post to open the scoring in the 36th minute. The Azteca had barely fallen silent when England struck again. Elliot Anderson won the ball from a sloppy Mexican giveaway, and Bellingham exchanged passes with Harry Kane before sliding home from close range to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute. Mexico had not conceded a goal in their first four matches of the tournament, but they conceded twice in just 98 seconds.

The two goals in quick succession silenced the partisan crowd, but Mexico's response was immediate. In the 42nd minute, Roberto Alvarado's free-kick caused havoc in the England box, and Julián Quiñones smashed home the loose ball to bring the co-hosts back into the contest. Mexico's Quinto Partido curse loomed large over the match, they had been eliminated in the Round of 16 in seven consecutive World Cups from 1994 to 2018, never reaching that elusive fifth game.

In 2026, with the expanded 48-team format, their Round of 32 victory over Ecuador had finally broken the curse, but the Round of 16 was now their new hurdle. England started the second half brightly, with Nico O'Reilly striking the post with a fine effort from the edge of the area, but the game turned decisively in the 54th minute. Jarell Quansah, sprinting across from right-back, went over the ball with a high challenge on Jesús Gallardo.

Referee Alireza Faghani was sent to the monitor by VAR and showed the England defender a straight red card, leaving Thomas Tuchel's side to defend their lead with ten men for the remaining 35 minutes. Tuchel immediately brought on John Stones for Saka to shore up the defence.

Just when it seemed England would be forced to absorb relentless pressure, they were awarded a penalty in the 60th minute. Anthony Gordon charged into the box and was brought down by Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, and Kane stepped up to blast the spot-kick into the bottom-left corner, restoring England's two-goal cushion at 3-1.

But the drama was far from over, Minutes later, Kane himself was adjudged to have kicked Brian Gutiérrez's foot while attempting to clear the ball, and after a VAR review, Raúl Jiménez converted the resulting penalty in the 69th minute to make it 3-2.

What followed was a desperate Mexican onslaught that tested England's resolve to the limit. Jordan Pickford produced a series of brilliant saves, including a stunning stop to deny Jiménez's header in the first half and another to tip over a header under the crossbar late in the game. Bellingham also made a vital interception, hooking the ball over the bar as César Montes looked certain to equalise.

With 11 minutes of stoppage time added, England threw bodies on the line, with substitutes Dan Burn and Djed Spence helping to see out the result. The final whistle sparked wild celebrations as England secured one of their greatest World Cup victories. For Mexico, the defeat means they still have not reached the quarter-finals since 1986, when they last hosted the tournament.

Since then, Mexico has been eliminated in the Round of 16 eight times, making the "quinto partido" curse one of football's most agonising national obsessions. The Azteca, where Mexico had suffered just two competitive defeats since opening in 1966, had finally been breached. England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami on July 11, with Erling Haaland waiting to test the Three Lions' defence.