England Survives Red Card and Altitude to Beat Mexico 3-2 and Reach World Cup Quarterfinals

England advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night, winning despite a raucous crowd, thin air and a second-half red card that left the team a player short.

Jude Bellingham scored twice in the first half, and Harry Kane converted a penalty after the dismissal to restore a two-goal cushion. The result handed Mexico its first World Cup defeat at the stadium, where it had been unbeaten in 10 matches, including three at this tournament.

Bellingham headed in the opener in the 36th minute, then struck again 98 seconds later from a Kane pass. Julián Quiñones pulled one back for Mexico in the 42nd minute, sending the sides into the break with England ahead.

The match seemed to swing toward the hosts in the 54th minute, when England's Jarell Quansah was sent off for a dangerous foul on Jesús Gallardo. Six minutes later, England was awarded a penalty for a challenge by Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, and Kane converted it for his sixth goal of the tournament and 14th in World Cup play. That total ties him with West Germany's Gerd Müller for fifth on the career list and leaves him one behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.

Kane then fouled in the box himself, making him the first player since at least 1966 to both score and concede a penalty in a World Cup game. Raúl Jiménez converted with a stutter-step run-up to make it 3-2. Mexico pressed hard for the final 21 minutes plus 11 minutes of stoppage time, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the England defense held firm.

England coach Thomas Tuchel praised his players' resolve. "We overcame every obstacle that was thrown our way," he said, adding that playing 40 to 50 minutes with 10 men is nearly impossible even at sea level. Bellingham called it "the best night of my England career." A hoarse Kane said that with everything against the team, "we found a way."

The win carried added meaning at the venue where Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup against Argentina. Kane's penalty gave the country a measure of redemption 40 years later.

The conditions were demanding. Azteca sits about 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level, and England's travel schedule gave the squad no time to adjust. Mexican fans blasted horns outside the team hotel to disturb players' sleep, and a thunderstorm delayed kickoff by an hour. A crowd of 80,824 attended.

There was a cost for England. Tuchel said midfielder Jordan Henderson was taken to a hospital with a wrist injury suffered when he tumbled over an advertising board during the postgame celebration. "It just does not fit with the evening that Jordan is not with us," Tuchel said.

Mexico has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since it hosted in 1986. Coach Javier Aguirre said his players "left everything on the pitch, but today it just wasn't meant to be." England next faces Norway on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, with a place in the semifinals at stake, as it seeks its first title since 1966.