Did England win last night? Three Lions battle Mexico in hostile atmosphere and scary thunderstorms

England beat Mexico 3-2 in the early hours of Monday morning in what was no doubt one of the best games of the 2026 World Cup.

After an hour-long delay caused by severe weather, the Three Lions came out on top of a five-goal thriller that saw two penalties, a red card and a sideline brawl at the Azteca Stadium.

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Jude Bellingham scored two goals in two crazy minutes in the first-half, before Mexico’s Julian Quinones got one back.

Just after the break, Jarell Quansah was sent off following a VAR check, with his high, studs-up tackle leading to a furious clash in the dugouts.

But England managed to hit back again thanks to a penalty from Harry Kane, regaining their two-goal lead on the hour mark.

Incredibly though, the co-hosts made things tense again, as Kane gave away a penalty and Raul Jimenez dispatched, setting up a final 20 minutes of constant pressure on the Three Lions’ defence.

Somehow, Thomas Tuchel‘s men held on and defended for their lives, securing their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Here’s how the chaotic last 16 tie played out overnight…

A frantic first half

After the hour-long wait for kick-off, those that did manage to stay up were treated to an incredible half of football.

Things started off feisty, with Thomas Tuchel clashing on the touchline with photographers and Declan Rice getting booked.

Rice was shown a yellow after less than a minute for a high boot, before Kane had a scuffle as he wrestled for a ball.

The Mexican fans inside the Azteca were booing every touch from the Three Lions players and ‘Ole’-ing their own touches.

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But after pushing through some initial pressure, which saw Jordan Pickford deny Jimenez with a strong left hand, it was England who took the reins in the last 16 tie on Sunday night.

Bellingham opened the scoring with a header at the back post after Rice drove forward with the ball and found Bukayo Saka in the 36th minute of the game.

Saka then clipped a cross into the box which evaded Kane, but reached the Real Madrid superstar, who finished easily.

That dampened some of the atmosphere inside the Azteca – and they would be completely silenced 99 seconds later.

This time, Bellingham was on the end of a brilliant cutback from Kane, tapping in from close range to double the lead.

At that point, talkSPORT commentator Jim Proudfoot said: “Bring on the Norwegians in Miami! No one in the Azteca can quite believe what they’ve seen!”

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But concerns then rose that those comments may have come too early, as the Mexicans shot back to life…

The frantic game went to another level, as just moments after England went 2-0 up, it was 2-1 thanks to Julian Quinones.

Quinones smashed in on the volley as a free-kick rebounded out into the box, with the winger making no mistake at all just three minutes before the break.

After that, it was all Mexico, as Pickford made a great save to deny Jimenez for a second time, tipping over a looping header.

And Bellingham had to leap into action at the other end to save Tuchel’s men, making a potentially game-saving block.

He threw his body in the way as Cesar Montes looked set to finish from two yards out, getting a touch to clear for a corner, with England then hanging on to take a 2-1 lead into half time.

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Seeing red and don’t go to bed!

The Three Lions then came out for the second half on the front foot, with Nico O’Reilly volleying an effort off the post.

But things quickly came crashing down, as Quansah was sent off for a studs-up tackle on Jesus Gallardo after a VAR check.

The Azteca was then back to its best, and Mexico looked to be on the ascent in the game, with England set to struggle with ten men.

However, that’s not how things ended up panning out…

Just seven minutes after Quansah’s red card, Anthony Gordon was brought down by the goalkeeper in the box and the referee didn’t waste any time in giving a penalty.

And then right on the hour mark, England captain Kane smashed home from the spot, relieving all the pressure.

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Or so we thought…as Mexico hit back for a second time!

Less than ten minutes after Kane scored, he gave away a penalty at the other end, with VAR penalising him for catching Brian Gutierrez in the box and Jimenez then scoring from the spot.

It meant that the final ‘quarter’ of the thrilling last 16 tie was poised at 3-2 to England, with Mexico piling on all the pressure.

But the Three Lions showed their fight and grit, clearing every cross into the box and defending superbly.

And they managed to hang on, booking their place in the World Cup quarter-finals in North America with a battling performance.

England will now face Norway in the quarters on Saturday, July 11 in Miami, with every kick live on talkSPORT.