Press reactions to Mexico vs. England: Bellingham defies the Aztec Stadium – DFB team experiences historic World Cup evening

The match had begun as unfavorably as possible for England. Kickoff was delayed by one hour due to a storm. On the pitch, a game developed that Thomas Tuchel, the head coach of the English national team, retrospectively felt was like a final: "Das fühlte sich nicht wie ein Achtelfinale an, sondern wie ein Finale." The English players were fighting not only against the altitude of the stadium – the Aztec Stadium sits at around 2,440 meters and is considered the highest-elevation World Cup venue of the tournament – but also against a heated atmosphere.

Bellingham's brace and the turning point

Jude Bellingham initiated the turning point. In the 36th and 38th minutes, the 23-year-old midfielder struck to put England 2-0 ahead – a brace within just 98 seconds. "Sí, se puede!" echoed through the legendary arena again and again on Sunday evening, but the English professionals withstood the pressure. Mexico pulled one back through Julián Quiñones in the 42nd minute, just four minutes after England's second goal.

After the break, England's situation worsened. In the 54th minute, referee Alireza Faghani showed English right-back Jarell Quansah a red card following a video review recommended by the video assistant. Quansah had caught Jesús Gallardo on the shin with his studs. England had to play more than 45 minutes with a man down.

Red card and tactical reshuffle

Tuchel responded to the sending-off with a tactical switch: from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-2, and later to a 5-3-1 setup. In the 60th minute, Harry Kane, captain of the English team, converted a penalty to make it 3-1 – his sixth goal of the tournament. The Bayern Munich striker thus scored the decisive goal. "Sorry, meine Stimme ist weg, ich habe die ganze Zeit gesungen, ich kann nicht wirklich reden. Dieser Erfolg sei „unglaublich. Ein verrücktes Spiel. Mein Gott, wir haben so gekämpft. Unglaublich, die Mannschaft, alles, das ist so unglaublich."

Mexico did not give up. In the 69th minute, Raúl Jiménez scored from the spot to make it 2:3, sending the Aztec Stadium trembling once more. Stoppage time lasted eleven minutes. In the end, the historic victory belonged to England. "Drei Löwen, 26 Helden. So viel Drama sollte niemand jemals um vier Uhr morgens erleben. Es ist eines der größten Ergebnisse in Englands WM-Geschichte," the BBC wrote. The Guardian spoke of a "legendären Sieg" ("legendären Sieg").

After the final whistle, Tuchel paid tribute to his team's willpower and found conciliatory words for the opposition: "Ich habe fast das Gefühl, zu sagen, dass es mir leidtut, dass Mexiko ausgeschieden ist" ("Ich habe fast das Gefühl, zu sagen, dass es mir leidtut, dass Mexiko ausgeschieden ist"). At the same time, he stressed: "Dieses Team gibt alles. Wenn es schwierig wird, geben sie nicht auf, glauben weiter an sich. Es war ein verrücktes Spiel. Wir müssen das jetzt erst einmal verarbeiten. Und dann geht es mit Volldampf weiter." England had now "Frieden geschlossen" ("England habe nun «Frieden geschlossen»"), Tuchel said with reference to the trauma of 1986, when Diego Maradona scored two unforgettable goals in the quarterfinal at the Aztec Stadium – the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century" – and Argentina defeated England 1:2.

Farewell to Aguirre and the Aztec streak

For Mexico, an era came to an end. The team suffered its first-ever home defeat at a World Cup at the Aztec Stadium. Eleven consecutive unbeaten matches at the tournament at this venue – including games at the 1970, 1986, and 2026 World Cups – came to an end. Coach Javier Aguirre, who had taken the job two years earlier, announced his resignation immediately after the defeat. "Es ist sehr schmerzhaft, wenn du so viel Hoffnung hattest und dann auf diese Weise ausscheidest" ("Es ist sehr schmerzhaft, wenn du so viel Hoffnung hattest und dann auf diese Weise ausscheidest"). His team had played "mit dem Herzen von Mexiko" ("mit dem Herzen von Mexiko"). According to reports, his successor is to be Rafael Márquez, who earned 147 caps for Mexico as a player.

The reactions in the country were consoling, but also politically charged. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's president, did not even appear at the stadium. On Sunday as well, she followed the match at a fan festival. She had given her ticket for the opening match to a football-loving girl from Veracruz. In the capital, authorities had set up 36 giant screens along the Paseo de la Reforma, where the fan zone in the city center had reached capacity ("Drei Stunden vor Anpfiff hatte die Fanzone im Stadtzentrum ihre Kapazität erreicht"). The car horn concerts began in the morning ("Die Hupkonzerte der Autos fingen schon morgens an"). After the final whistle, the English players sang "Wonderwall" together with their fans.

Henderson injury dims the triumph

Not all reactions were peaceful. A week earlier, four people had died in a crush during the celebrations following the victory against Ecuador ("Eine Woche zuvor waren vier Menschen bei den Feierlichkeiten nach dem Sieg gegen Ecuador in einem Gedränge ums Leben gekommen"). For England, the night was a sporting triumph, but it was overshadowed by an injury: substitute Jordan Henderson tore ligaments in his wrist while jumping over an advertising hoarding and was taken to hospital. Tuchel spoke of a "ziemlich schwere Verletzung" and added: "Es ist eine ziemlich schwere Verletzung und es passt einfach nicht zu diesem Abend, dass Jordan jetzt nicht bei uns ist."

England now turns its gaze toward Miami. Norway with Erling Haaland awaits in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 23:00 CEST – England is aiming for its first World Cup title since 1966. The mood in the camp is enthusiastic, but also reflective. "nach 90 pulsierenden Minuten, zwei Elfmetern, einer Roten Karte und fünf Toren musste sich Mexiko geschlagen geben" – this summary from the press reactions encapsulates a match that was significant for England on sporting, historic, and emotional levels. Shortly after 9 p.m., thunder roared one last time at the Aztec Stadium ("Kurz nach 21 Uhr donnerte es ein allerletztes Mal im Aztekenstadion") – and this time, the happy ending was written for the English fans.