England have barely had time to catch their breath after the wildest night of their World Cup, before turning their attention to Norway. Erling Haaland’s double had already sent five-time champions Brazil out of the tournament in the previous round, and it is Norway who now await England in the quarter-final in Miami. The Norway vs England odds had started moving before England’s players had even finished celebrating in Mexico City.
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Mexico’s Fortress Falls
Getting there took some doing. Mexico arrived at the last 16 with a flawless record, four wins from four and no goals conceded in the tournament so far, and they treated the game as an unofficial final on home soil.
They had also gone unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches at the Estadio Azteca, as well as only losing twice in 89 games there. The stadium sits 2,240 metres above sea level and had not hosted England since Diego Maradona’s Hand of God moment in 1986. The build-up was delayed an hour by a tropical storm, with kick-off rescheduled to 2am, despite calls for the game to be moved forward to 7pm just days before.
Bellingham’s Early Double
Jordan Pickford kept England’s night alive early on, turning away a diving header from Raul Jimenez inside the opening quarter of an hour. Jude Bellingham then made the occasion his own, at least for a while.
Bukayo Saka’s cross found him in the 36th minute, and two minutes later, Bellingham struck again after Harry Kane squared the ball across the box, two goals inside 98 seconds to put England 2-0 up. Four minutes after that, Julian Quinones pulled one back for Mexico in the 42nd minute, cutting the lead to 2-1 at half-time.
Quansah Sees Red
England’s afternoon got harder just after the second half started, when Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for a reckless high challenge on Jesus Gallardo. It left England to defend for the last 40 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men.
Two Penalties
England’s penalty came first, after Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel fouled Anthony Gordon, and Kane converted it to make it 3-1. Mexico were awarded one in response when Kane caught Brian Gutierrez while trying to clear the ball, and Jimenez sent Pickford the wrong way to make it 3-2.
A Giant Off The Bench
Thomas Tuchel turned to his bench, sending on 6ft 7in Dan Burn, the tallest outfield option available, as England switched to a back five to see the game out. Burn made two blocks and six clearances in the closing minutes, giving a stretched backline extra height and reach against a Mexico side still throwing bodies forward.
Despite only coming on in the 75th minute, Burn managed to achieve the most defensive contributions of the match. The football odds moved throughout the game, but England held on to defeat the co-hosts 3-2 and advance to the quarter-final.
Henderson’s Night To Forget
Jordan Henderson never kicked a ball against Mexico, but he still finished the night with a yellow card and a broken wrist. His only involvement in the tournament so far had been an 84th-minute substitute appearance against Panama, yet playing at a fourth World Cup already matched a record for England appearances at the tournament held by Bobby Charlton.
The unused substitute was booked during a touchline confrontation as tempers frayed late on, then fell over an advertising hoarding while celebrating after the final whistle. He was given oxygen and stretchered off to hospital, and is now out of the tournament, requiring surgery on his injury.
Wonderwall Again
Wonderwall has become England’s tournament anthem this summer, overtaking Sweet Caroline, the song that has carried the team through major tournaments since Euro 2020. The Oasis hit traces back to the opening group game in Dallas, where the players joined supporters singing the track after their 4-2 victory over Croatia.
The song has been sung after every game since, and this time, the players jumped over the advertising boards behind the goal to get right in among the fans while they sang, and Kane could barely speak in his pitch-side interview afterwards. He squeaked out, “I’ve just been singing there, I can’t really talk. Unbelievable support, speechless.”
Next Up, Norway
England’s next challenge is Erling Haaland’s Norway in the Round of 16 on Saturday night. Norway defeated five-time winners Brazil 2-1 and are now appearing in their first World Cup quarter-final. This will provide a very different test for England in Miami without the altitude or the hostility that greeted England in Mexico City.
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