What a rollercoaster of a match it was at the Azteca Stadium as England edged past Mexico in the last-16 World Cup thriller! The Three Lions were coasting to a 2-0 lead after just half an hour, thanks to Jude Bellingham's double, but Julian Quinones' goal on the stroke of halftime threw a cat among the pigeons and set up a dramatic second half.
The turning point came in the 54th minute when Jarell Quansah was given his marching orders for a studs-up tackle on Jesus Gallardo. VAR intervened, but assistant referee Darren Cann was adamant it was a "clear red card", as the England defender's aggressive challenge left the ref no choice but to send him packing.
Despite being down to 10 men, England proved their mettle and quickly restored their two-goal advantage when Harry Kane slotted home from the spot after he'd been fouled in the box. But just as it seemed like the Three Lions were home and dry, Mexico got a second chance to narrow the deficit – and this time it was England who were on the wrong end of a penalty decision.
Referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot after consulting the pitchside monitor, and Raul Jimenez made no mistake from 12 yards. Former England keeper Joe Hart was in agreement with Cann that each decision had been justified – including Quansah's red card, which he felt was an honest challenge gone wrong.