England manager Thomas Tuchel credited ‘pure mentality and passion’ after his 10-man side survived a tense encounter at the Azteca Stadium, withstanding a second-half attack to beat Mexico 3-2 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
England looked set to take a 2-0 lead through two quick-fire goals from Jude Bellingham but were forced to desperately hold on after Jarell Quansah’s red card sparked a Mexican revival, leaving England gasping for breath in the thin air of Mexico City.
«I’m just proud of the mentality and attitude. Round of 32/Round of 16 is the moment in the tournament when you find a way to win. We did it with pure mentality and heart,» said Tuchel.
«We overcame every obstacle thrown at us. I am so proud of the team’s mentality and will.»
In what was a cauldron atmosphere at the Azteca, England produced perhaps their most successful performance of the tournament so far from both ends of the pitch.
After enduring a hostile opening period, England took a two-goal lead, with Bellingham showing a poacher’s instinct to score twice from close range in the space of two minutes.
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Yet the chaos had only just begun when Mexico got one back through World Cup top scorer Julian Quinones, adding rocket fuel to an atmosphere that had already ignited.
When Quansah was sent off for a rash challenge nine minutes into the second half, the crowd threatened to raise the roof off the famous arena before a Harry Kane penalty gave England some momentary respite.
However, the English were soon against it again as Mexico themselves were awarded a penalty and Raul Jimenez made his attempt to leave England, clinging on for the final whistle.
England defended with calm authority and limited their hosts to glimpses of goal, occasionally forcing Tuchel’s backline into a scramble as they held out 12 minutes of stoppage time.
The match was billed as England’s biggest test yet at the tournament, against the co-hosts, at a high altitude, in front of a raucous home support.
The significance of the draw was not lost on the England manager, who said the magnitude of the event had the feel of further down the tournament.
“It didn’t feel like a round of 16 in the build-up, it almost feels like we won a final or something,” Tuchel said.
«That last moment when the referee raises his whistle to his mouth and you know you have overcome it, 40-50 minutes with 10 men up against the home country, against a strong, strong Mexican team, this is a moment of joy. In the end it was a heroic performance and a heroic result.»
Published on July 6, 2026
