England went through another dramatic knockout stage game, this time against co-hosts Mexico.
We have just reached the quarter finals and the Three Lions are already the most battle-tested side in the 2026 World Cup.
After trailing for 75 minutes in the round of 32 against DR Congo, Thomas Tuchel’s (10) men had to hold on to their lead against El Tri at the Azteca in order to advance from the round of 16.
Jude Bellingham did a bit of everything tonight, but his lightning-quick first-half brace was the turning point of the match. And both of his goals exemplified exactly what the German manager wanted from his team.
How did England turn early suffering into win against Mexico?
Mexico’s strong start
For a good half hour, it felt like Mexico were going to repeat against England what they did to Ecuador the round before.
The co-hosts started off hot and took the game to the Three Lions, contrary to popular expectations. It was also an unfortunately familiar start to England themselves, who were on the back foot early against DR Congo as well.
El Tri tried to stretch England during build-up, but Tuchel refused to allow his side to have too much space between players and lines. As a result, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka pressed high up the pitch, and the other seven outfield players remained back. This meant that Mexico could dominate possession and string passes together to reach the attacking half.
They took four of the first shots (and each of the first three) and trapped England inside their own half for some time. Their counter press was on full display yet again, after being one of the decisive factors during their win over Ecuador.
The Three Lions went into the game with the fourth highest possession average in the tournament (63%) but found themselves with 37% against Mexico until Bellingham’s opener.
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England calm things down
To start the game, it looked like England were ready to pounce on whatever opportunities they had to accelerate play and find Mexico’s defence out of shape. Getting the ball back in play quickly, going long often, etc.
But with how strong Mexico were pushing, the Three Lions had to do the exact opposite: calm things down. Passing it slowly, taking their time whenever the ball went out of play, any way they could find to stop the Mexicans from going at them.
The hydration break also helped, as it has done for many teams who start the game poorly during the World Cup so far.
It was a quick 10-ish-minute stretch in which England actually held possession and strangled the pace of the game. This span also included the first few times in which Jordan Pickford played the ball out short rather than going long.
Tuchel’s strategy perfectly executed
While England played poorly for the first 20 minutes, Tuchel’s game management was spot on from then until half-time. He calmed things down enough so that it was safe for England to start trying to execute their strategy again. And they did it perfectly.
We just mentioned Pickford was always looking for long passes towards Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon running in behind. That was a big part of the strategy.
Not just with Pickford, but everyone. Jarell Quansah’s red card obviously forced England to a more direct approach. As a result, they had their highest long ball percentage in a match this World Cup by far.
| England Opponent | Long Ball Percentage |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 18.4% |
| DR Congo | 6.4% |
| Panama | 6.5% |
| Ghana | 4.1% |
| Croatia | 8.6% |
But that number was already at 12.2% at half-time against Mexico, playing with 11 men. The co-hosts’ strong performance forced that a little, but Tuchel wanted to catch them off-guard by all means necessary.
And they did. After various attempts of inviting pressure and playing long, over-the-top through balls, one finally worked. And it was by getting the ball back in play quickly, as well. A failed Mexican attack meant they had no defensive shape at the back.
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Pickford quickly played the ball to Declan Rice who carried from just outside his own penalty area into the final third on the other end. He then passed it to Arsenal teammate Saka who crossed it brilliantly for Bellingham.
Shortly after that, they managed to catch Mexico off-guard once again – this time thanks to an Elliot Anderson tackle. Gordon then passed it to Bellingham, who tapped it into an empty net following a one-two with Kane.
Two quick and direct transitions after recovering possession that the Real Madrid midfielder turned into goals by crashing the box from behind. Both assists came from the right wing as well.
Mexico’s attacking notes
While those two goals ultimately decided the game, they didn’t end the match there and then. Mexico responded to England’s quick lead and cut it in half before the break.
The co-hosts found a lot of success sending crosses into the box, in open or set play – mostly from the right-hand side. The left flank in theory had more attacking power with Julian Quinones and Jesus Gallardo. But Gilberto Mora and especially Roberto Alvarado were creating most of the danger down the right.
Raul Jimenez forced two brilliant saves from Pickford with dangerous headers from crosses that came from the right wing. It looked like their best creative source.
However, Aguirre came back from the break with a heavy focus on the left flank. The splits from the second half stood at 38% (left), 30% (centre) and 32% (right). In the first half, they were at 38% (left), 20% (middle) and 42% (right).
Tuchel moving to a 5-3-1 after Quansah’s sending off packed the heart of defence and elevated England’s average height. John Stones and Dan Burn combined for 11 clearances despite the former playing 33 minutes and the latter just 15.
While it invited Mexico to England’s defending third and offered no way out of their own half, it severely decreased the co-hosts’ creativity. The Three Lions were prepared to face and clear out crosses and there was nothing left – other than a penalty for Mexico to threaten them with.
It wasn’t pretty or convincing, but a dramatic win in which every player left everything on the pitch. The kind of victory that makes a team come together stronger – though it may take a toll phisically. Man of the match Bellingham could barely stand after the final whistle, for perspective.
Luckily for the Three Lions, they won’t play again for another six days. And though Norway did beat Brazil a few hours earlier, they are an accessible opponent for England to find their way into the semi finals.
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