England defeated Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, despite playing with 10 men for over 30 minutes.
Manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical adjustments after Jarrell Quansah's red card in the 54th minute proved decisive.
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Bukayo Saka set up Jude Bellingham for the opening goal, and Anthony Gordon drew a penalty that Harry Kane converted.
The victory came before 80,000 fans at the Azteca Stadium.
Tuchel shifted England into a defensive formation, introducing Dan Burn for his World Cup debut to help goalkeeper Jordan Pickford repel a late barrage of crosses from the Mexican offense.
"A crazy game," Tuchel said.
Norway Eliminates Brazil
In other action, Norway defeated Brazil to advance, while Norway coach Stale Solbakken criticized FIFA's decision to lift the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun.
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"It's a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup," Solbakken said.
He added that the controversy could overshadow the US team's achievements if they advance further.
"I feel sorry for the United States, because if they win, that will hang in the background. It's not good for the sport," Solbakken said.
FIFA cleared Balogun to play ahead of the US round-of-16 match against Belgium.
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England's victory marks one of its most significant World Cup achievements, characterized by intense defensive resilience in the final minutes.
