England's Historic Victory at the Azteca Stadium: Kane Faces Haaland in the Quarterfinal

Kickoff had to be delayed by one hour, however, as severe thunderstorms had rolled into the Santa Úrsula district south of Mexico City. Following the whistles from nearly all of the 80,824 spectators in attendance, a fast-paced match developed at over 2,200 meters above sea level, in which England quickly took control.

In the 36th and 38th minutes, Jude Bellingham struck twice for the English side, setting the course for victory early. Mexico responded through Julián Quiñones in the 42nd minute — already the fourth goal of the tournament for the Colombia-born striker — so the teams went into halftime with England holding a narrow 2:1 lead.

Double Shock from Red Card and Penalty

The events cascaded after the break: in the 54th minute, Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen was shown a red card, which gave Mexico temporary hope. But in the 60th minute, Harry Kane converted a penalty — his sixth goal of the tournament — to make it 3:1. Nine minutes later, Raúl Jiménez pulled one back from the spot, a penalty that Kane himself had conceded, cutting the deficit to 3:2.

The closing stages became a nail-biter: even the eleven minutes of stoppage time were survived unscathed. Mexico fought tenaciously but came up against the outstanding English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who is 32 years old and plays in the English Premier League.

With the final whistle, a remarkable streak came to an end: Mexico had never lost a World Cup match at the Azteca Stadium, and had not lost there in 13 years. This record fell precisely against England, who thereby qualified for the final round of the top eight teams.

Quarterfinal: Kane Meets Haaland

After Canada, Mexico is now the second of three World Cup host nations to be eliminated. Only one host nation remains in the tournament, while England continues to live up to its role as favorite.

Awaiting in the quarterfinal is Norway — and with it, a duel between two superstar strikers: Harry Kane faces Erling Haaland with England. The latter had sealed Norway's win over record world champion Brazil with a brace just hours before England's triumph. Football fans around the world are now looking ahead with anticipation to this clash of the goal scorers.

Outlook on the Knockout Stage

The relief in the English camp was palpable after the final whistle. Coach and players stressed that they had finally been able to shake off the historic pressure of the stadium. Mexico, meanwhile, bids farewell to their own tournament after a courageous performance and will initially remain without further World Cup matches at the Azteca Stadium.

For England, the hot phase of the tournament now begins. The quarterfinal against Norway next weekend will show whether the team around Kane and Bellingham can also hold their own against a physically robust opponent boasting a world-class striker. The anticipation for the Kane versus Haaland showdown is already enormous.