And what of England’s next opponents, Norway? It seems like an age ago that they faced Brazil in their last-16 clash in East Rutherford, given all the drama that has come since. Erling Haaland was up to Erling Haaland things in the 2-1 win, hailed afterwards as “the greatest day in Norwegian football history” (Ståle Solbakken) and “one of the sickest days” in Norway’s history (Haaland). A pretty good day to be a Norway fan, then. Paul MacInnes was there to soak up a momentous moment:
Never mind the atmosphere at the Azteca, how was it at a World Cup fan park in the north of England?
“Manchester hasn’t seen a wild weeknight party like this since Oasis rolled into town for their run of homecoming gigs almost exactly a year ago,” writes Hannah Al-Othman. “The long-awaited final whistle saw plastic pint pots flying through the air, people lifted on to shoulders and scarves and flags held aloft as the DJ threw on Oasis’s Wonderwall.”
It was a big night for Thomas Tuchel, who masterminded an England restructure after Quansah’s red card that proved crucial to his team’s success.
“It took a collective effort from England to dent Mexico’s daunting record at the Azteca,” writes Jacob Steinberg. “But it comes back to Tuchel.”
Have a read of Jacob’s full piece here:
Spare a thought for poor Jordan Henderson, England’s experienced midfielder/cheerleader who has seemingly ‘done a Steve Morrow’ by injuring himself during post-match celebrations while attempting to vault over an advertising hoarding at the Azteca. Henderson, who didn’t see any playing time on the night but still managed to get booked, was taken to hospital with what Tuchel described as “quite a serious injury to his wrist”. His participation in the rest of the tournament is now under threat.
Updated
A few snaps from the Azteca. The final few pics in this gallery tell a clear story about England’s delight at holding on during a fraught period of injury time.
Jude Bellingham was immense in Mexico City, scoring twice in two minutes but also playing a huge part at the other end of the pitch in a moment when England needed him most. “A supreme display,” writes Nick Ames, although not supreme enough to warrant full marks in his player ratings. An honourable mention goes to Dan Burn – it’s not often a 75th-minute substitute gets an 8. Here’s how the players fared:
Updated
What a night at the Azteca. So much happened over the course of 100-or so minutes of football. Where to start? How about this from David Hytner, who was there to witness what he reckons was “England’s finest World Cup knockout phase victory since 1966”.
Preamble
Hello football fans, wherever in the world you are. How’s the ticker? That was quite the heartstopper we’ve just witnessed in Mexico City. Five goals, two penalties, one red card, 12 minutes of injury time, a febrile atmosphere in a proper stadium and, ultimately, England delight contrasting with Mexico heartbreak. There’s quite a bit to unpack from that game, which we’ll attempt to do here, and plenty of other news to catch up on from a rather wild day at the World Cup, including the day’s other last-16 game between Norway and Brazil.
We’ll also look ahead to matches 93 and 94 of this World Cup – the small matter of a Spain v Portugal clash and then the co-hosts USA v Belgium, a game which Folarin Balogun will, against all normal convention, feature in.
If you have any thoughts on any of the above, or indeed anything else World Cup related, do get in touch with an email – mike.hytner@theguardian.com. Let’s get into it!
