Key events
Jude Bellingham was immense in Mexico City, scoring twice in two minutes but also playing a huge part at the other end of the pitch in a moment when England needed him most. “A supreme display,” writes Nick Ames, although not supreme enough to warrant full marks in his player ratings. An honourable mention goes to Dan Burn – it’s not often a 75th-minute substitute gets an 8. Here’s how the players fared:
What a night at the Azteca. So much happened over the course of 100-or so minutes of football. Where to start? How about this from David Hytner, who was there to witness what he reckons was “England’s finest World Cup knockout phase victory since 1966”.
Preamble
Hello football fans, wherever in the world you are. How’s the ticker? That was quite the heartstopper we’ve just witnessed in Mexico City. Five goals, two penalties, one red card, 12 minutes of injury time, a febrile atmosphere in a proper stadium and, ultimately, England delight contrasting with Mexico heartbreak. There’s quite a bit to unpack from that game, which we’ll attempt to do here, and plenty of other news to catch up on from a rather wild day at the World Cup, including the day’s other last-16 game between Norway and Brazil.
We’ll also look ahead to matches 93 and 94 of this World Cup – the small matter of a Spain v Portugal clash and then the co-hosts USA v Belgium, a game which Folarin Balogun will, against all normal convention, feature in.
If you have any thoughts on any of the above, or indeed anything else World Cup related, do get in touch with an email – mike.hytner@theguardian.com. Let’s get into it!
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/06/world-cup-2026-england-set-up-norway-quarter-final-after-mexico-thriller-trump-lobbied-for-balogun-red-card-reversal-live
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