Mexico vs. England Player Ratings: Three Lions Escape Estadio Azteca Epic

England secured a spot in the World Cup quarterfinal, where it will face Norway next week.

Jude Bellingham scored a brace on Sunday night. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

Mexico threw the kitchen sink at England—and could have easily walked away with victory on any other night—but it was ultimately the Three Lions that punched their ticket to the quarterfinal, winning 3–2 on Sunday night at the hallowed Estadio Azteca.

It marked only the third loss for El Tri out of 90 matches in the otherwise unconquerable fortress, a defeat achieved by the pure wizardry of Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid star became supernatural and scored twice in the span of two first-half minutes to take a lead that Mexico ultimately could not overcome.

Julián Quiñones brought Mexico within one just four minutes after Bellingham’s brace, to solidify Sunday’s theme of utter relentlessness.

Captain Harry Kane earned England’s third of the night on a penalty kick in the 60th minute to extend the lead, marking his fifth goal of the tournament to keep him firmly in the Golden Boot race.

Mexico then responded with a penalty of its own, driven in by Raúl Jiménez just nine minutes later, but the host couldn’t muster anything else after that.

England now turns its attentions to Norway, who it will battle next Saturday in Miami.

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The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Raul Jiménez was a threat to England’s backline all night long. | Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

Prior to the start of the World Cup, it would have felt obvious that England would defeat Mexico in the round of 16, should Mexico even advance that far—a possibility that would have been heavily questioned in itself. It was anything but obvious on Sunday night.

Fueled by the Estadio Azteca, the home crowd and a perfect record entering the round of 16, El Tri took the pitch as England’s equal and was undisputedly the better team for much of the match, aside from the few minutes in which Bellingham cast his spell.

Mexico dominated possession, forced England on its backheels and continually found its way into the box. The co-host was confident and patient in the attacking build-up, finding the likes of Jiménez and Quiñones, who sent panic through England’s backline and exposed its vulnerabilities on multiple occasions.

Even when England took a 2–0 lead, Mexico did not relinquish momentum, finding the back of the net itself just minutes later. When Kane scored his penalty kick in the second half, Jiménez scored one too. Mexico continued to put England under pressure for the rest of the match and nearly overtook the mighty Three Lions.

Although El Tri ultimately failed to topple England, its run this summer was nonetheless inspiring. The nation finally broke the fifth-game curse by securing its first knockout win in 40 years and forced a No. 4-globally ranked team to clinch the quarterfinal stage by the skin of its teeth.

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Mexico Player Ratings vs. England (4-3-3)

It appeared only a matter of time before Raul Jiménez found the back of the net. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Raúl Rangel—5.5: Was beaten twice in two minutes after going four consecutive games without conceding.

RB: Jorge Sánchez—6.2: Commanding in some one-on-one defensive moments, yet struggled to contain Anthony Gordon in others.

CB: César Montes—5.7: The captain had sub-par long ball delivery. Struggled to regroup after Bellingham’s first, which led to his second.

CB: Johan Vásquez—7.0: Key to instigating long passing sequences and buildups. Long ball service to Jiménez was good.

LB: Jesús Gallardo—6.3: Did not struggle to handle Bukayo Saka. Was heavily involved in the attack in the dying minutes of the match.

DM: Erik Lira—6.8: His vision and patience were critically important. Dynamic moving forward. Clean up crew on defense.

AM: Gilberto Mora—5.3: Was a creative burst of energy in the center of pitch, but to no avail.

AM: Luis Romo—6.2: His nine passes into the final third were integral to putting England on its heels in the first half especially.

RW: Roberto Alvarado—7.7: Executed small sequences in tight spaces well when tucking in centrally. Pin-point deliveries.

ST: Raúl Jiménez—7.4: His diving header in the 15th minute was just one of several incredible chances he had on the night. It was only a matter of time before he found the back of the net.

LW: Julián Quiñones—7.6: Commanded the left flank, unfazed by Jarell Quansah and Bukayo Saka. Came up big when Mexico needed a quick resurgence.

SUB: Edson Álvarez (46’ for Montes)—7.1: Replaced the injured Montes. Handled Bellingham well in the second half.

SUB: Brian Gutiérrez (61’ for Romo)—6.7: Connected well with Gallardo on the left flank. Secured the penalty kick for Jiménez.

SUB: Santiago Giménez (61’ for Mora)—5.7: Skied a good chance in the 82nd minute.

SUB: Álvaro Fidalgo (79’ for Sánchez)—6.7: Good service into the box to keep England under pressure until the final moment,

SUB: Guillermo Martínez (81’ for Quiñones)—N/A

Subs not used: Carlos Acevedo (GK), Guillermo Ochoa (GK), Israel Reyes, Mateo Chávez, Luis Chávez, Obed Vargas, Armando González, Luis Chávez, Alexis Vega, César Huerta, Orbelín Pineda

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England Player Ratings vs. Mexico (4-2-3-1)

Anthony Gordon was an offensive spark down the left flank. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Jordan Pickford—7.2: The Everton goalkeeper could not respond fast enough to Quiñones’s blast in the 42nd minute, but made a heroic save in the waning minutes of the first half to make up for it.

RB: Jarell Quansah—5.7: Thwarted quite easily in his attempts going forward. Will regret the studs-up slide that saw him get flashed a red card.

CB: Ezri Konsa—5.8: Allowed Jiménez to be too much of a threat and easily penetrate the backline.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.2: Left Quiñones unmarked at the top of the box for Mexico’s first.

LB: Nico O’Reilly—6.6: Hasn’t really had a breakout performance this summer.

CM: Elliot Anderson—7.4: Had a few solid clearances when Mexico was hounding down the final third.

CM: Declan Rice—6.6: Rather anonymous outing for the Arsenal star. He has struggled to find his footing this summer.

RW: Bukayo Saka—7.4: Completely anonymous until his cross found the diving head of Bellingham in the 36th minute.

AM: Jude Bellingham—9.2: His brilliant brace in under two minutes quieted an otherwise thunderous Estadio Azteca.

LW: Anthony Gordon—7.6: His speed and explosivity was on full display all night and even earned his side a penalty kick in the 59th minute,

ST: Harry Kane—8.1: Assisted Bellingham’s second goal. Otherwise, didn’t need to play the hero because Bellingham did. Earned his 85th international goal on a penalty kick in the second half, a side-netting blast.

SUB: John Stones (57’ for Saka)—6.4: Struggled to generate chances and get involved in the attack.

SUB: Daniel Burn (75’ for Anderson)—6.4: Rather anonymous.

SUB: Djed Spence (75’ for O’Reilly)—6.4: Had a clutch headed clearance in the 78th minute. Had difficulty containing Alvarado.

SUB: Morgan Rogers (90’ for Kane)—N/A

Subs not used: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Jude Bellingham played the hero on Sunday night. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

• It was either going to be Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane that played the English hero on Sunday night. It was both. Last time out, it was Kane who scored the brace to sneak by DR Congo. And this time, it was Bellingham who found the net twice in just one minute and 38 total seconds, the second goal coming off a cross from Kane. The captain soon added one of his own off of a penalty kick, remaining a Golden Boot contender.
• Although he likely won’t get his flowers, Anthony Gordon was the unsung hero for England. It was his explosiveness into the final third that made England’s second and third goals possible.
• Bukayo Saka, still managing his lingering Achilles tendon issue, struggled early on to make an impact on the right flank, easily thwarted by Jesús Gallardo for much of the first 30 minutes. He finally broke through, though, and made the moment count, slotting a perfect ball across the box to the diving head of Bellingham to open the game’s scoring.
• Raul Jiménez gave England’s entire backline a run for its money, shedding light once again on England’s defensive vulnerabilities. Pure brilliance was required of Pickford to narrowly save Jiménez’s upper-90 header and avoid an equalizer for Mexico heading into halftime.
• Julián Quiñones continued to dominate the tournament, reaching five goal contributions in as many outings.

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The Numbers That Explain

• Although Mexico was more dominant in the run of play and in the attacking build-up, with 92% passing accuracy, it was England that was far more clinical in front of the net. The Three earned a trio of goals off of just six total shots, with a 1.55 xG. El Tri did not struggle to get shots off, taking 20 total, yet only five were on target and only two found the back of the net.
• Mexico was by far the bigger aggressor, with 14 fouls to England’s seven, yet England was the one who had to play a man down for the majority of the second half.
• El Tri did not do enough to capitalize on the whopping 12 corner kicks it took on Sunday night.

Statistic	Mexico	England
Possession	67%	33%
xG	1.94	1.55
Total Shots	20	6
Shots on Target	5	5
Big Chances	2	3
Pass Accuracy	92%	80%
Fouls	14	7
Corners	12	2

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