The Azteca regret for England has mostly faded away.

Written by Han Yixi. If every World Cup match were played like this, how could fans ever feel drowsy? At the 2,240-meter-high Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico and England produced what might be the most exciting contest of this World Cup. Goals, red cards, and unexpected twists—all the essential football ingredients were there.

For the English, the Azteca Stadium holds no pleasant recollections. Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986 took place right here. At this hallowed ground of North and Central American football, Mexico has lost only 2 of 89 matches, with 16 wins and 6 draws in their last 22. They remain unbeaten in their last 10 World Cup matches on this pitch. Moreover, they are the third team in history to win their first four World Cup games without conceding a single goal, following Italy in 1990 and Brazil in 1986. Four victories already set a new record for Mexico in a single World Cup, and the fervent Mexican fans hope they can at least match the team's best-ever quarterfinal finish from 40 years ago.

Undoubtedly, the Three Lions traveled to Mexico under pressure. They deliberately arrived in Mexico City only on Friday evening to play the match before the effects of high altitude could worsen. To avoid deliberate disruption by Mexican fans, they made extensive preparations. As for the widely circulated rumor about "using Viagra to prevent altitude sickness," coach Tuchel and veteran Henderson denied it at the pre-match press conference, saying "that's not true." At least in the opening stages, the English players showed no apparent signs of altitude sickness affecting their physical condition.

Tuchel adjusted the starting lineup again. Rashford, Saka, and Spence, who started against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the previous match, were replaced by Gordon, Saka, and the timely recovered Quansah respectively. Kane and goalkeeper Pickford made their 17th appearances, equaling Peter Shilton's record for the most World Cup appearances in England's history. Rice received a yellow card just 56 seconds into the match—the fourth fastest yellow card in World Cup history.

The two teams last met in 1966, when England won their only major tournament to date on home soil, defeating Mexico 2-0. This time, England again drew first blood. In the 36th minute, Mexico's attack broke down; Pickford collected the ball and launched a counterattack. Rice picked it up and passed to Saka on the wing, who delivered a low cross to the far post. Kane occupied the defenders at the near post, leaving Bellingham unmarked at the far post to head home, breaking Mexico's clean sheet record in this World Cup.

Just 98 seconds later, it was Bellingham again. After a "big two-on-one" exchange with Kane, he calmly slotted home into an empty net. This was the 10th goal for the Real Madrid midfielder in his 53rd appearance for England, with seven of those coming in World Cups or European Championships—truly clutch.

The home side pulled the game back into contention just four minutes later. England center-back Konsa made a clearance error during a set-piece defense, leaving Quinones unmarked in the box to volley home and reduce the deficit. The hosts launched a furious fightback, coming close to equalizing three times during first-half stoppage time. Bellingham's last-ditch clearance on the goal line in the 48th minute, beating Mexican center-back Montes to the ball, was as valuable as a goal.

The two teams combined for an electrifying first half. Mexico controlled the game with 63% possession and created more shots (7 shots, 3 on target), but England's efficiency prevailed—they converted two goals from just three attempts.

The second half saw a dramatic shift with multiple surprises. Quansah's reckless sliding tackle in the 52nd minute earned him a red card, forcing Tuchel to replace Saka with Stones as a center-back and move Konsa to right-back. England went on the defensive, but they unexpectedly extended their lead in the 60th minute. Pickford kicked long; Kane headed the ball on; Gordon raced onto it and was brought down by Mexican goalkeeper Rangel, earning a penalty. Kane stepped up and converted, his sixth goal of the tournament, equaling his own record from 2018 and Gary Lineker's record of six goals in a single World Cup from 1986. However, nine minutes later, Kane hesitated and made a mistake while clearing in the box, conceding a penalty. Mexican striker Jiménez, who had repeatedly threatened Pickford throughout the match, scored, reducing the gap back to one goal.

Tuchel then showed his adaptability, substituting O'Riley and Anderson for Spence and the nearly two-meter-tall center-back Dan Burn, as England retreated into a full defensive shell. Facing this English "bus," Mexico's skillful individuals had no answer, constantly trying to find openings through crosses and switches, but posed little threat against England's towering defense. Burn made six clearances alone—the most by any substitute after the 75th minute since such records began in the 1966 World Cup. In the first minute of an astonishing 11 minutes of added time, Tuchel replaced an exhausted Harry Kane with Rogers, leaving the nearly spent man-of-the-match Bellingham as a lone striker to occupy defenders. England held on to win 3-2. Their possession rate of just 33.2% was the lowest in a World Cup match since 1966.

But so what? When the final whistle blew, England advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the 11th time, trailing only Brazil (15 times) and Germany (14 times) in history. A hoarse-voiced Kane, sounding like Mickey Mouse during the post-match interview, praised the team: "It was a crazy game, but everyone showed courage!" Coach Tuchel was also asked about the Azteca's history 40 years ago and responded: "Of course I remember Maradona's World Cup. This is a great moment to make peace with this stadium. We will go and claim what belongs to us."

Perhaps at this moment, English fans can temporarily shake off the shadow of 40 years ago, but Bellingham was not satisfied: "I think we're still a few games away from that goal. After all, they (Argentina) won the tournament back then!" Having won under adversity, they can now look ahead to the next match. In the quarterfinals, they will face Norway and Erling Haaland in Miami.