Anderson dedicates England's World Cup win over Mexico to his late mother Helen

Elliot Anderson dedicated England’s 3-2 World Cup victory over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium to his late mother Helen, saying she would have been proud of what he and the team have achieved in the tournament.

Helen Anderson died in April following a battle with cancer. The 23-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder had already honoured her publicly when his World Cup call-up was confirmed, posting on Instagram: “Wow! Something I have dreamt of my whole life.... Mum, we are going to the World Cup.”

Speaking to reporters after the win that sent England through to the quarter-finals, Anderson was asked whether the result carried extra emotional weight given everything he had faced this year. “It is, it is,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on and I think my escape is just getting on the pitch. It frees my mind and hopefully we can keep continuing this.”

Asked directly whether his mother would have been proud, Anderson did not hesitate. “Definitely. She would have been here celebrating with my family and singing along with the songs at the end. So, yeah, proud.”

Earlier this year, Anderson posted a lengthy tribute on Instagram alongside a gallery of photographs. “Mum, you are the most special person I could have ever met,” he wrote. “You fought so hard for the past year with huge strength and resilience. The determination you have shown made me so unbelievably proud. All we wanted to do was make you proud. I know you are looking down on us and watching everything we do. You are my biggest motivation.”

England’s dramatic win over Mexico, secured in front of a packed Azteca Stadium, sets up a quarter-final meeting with Norway on Saturday 11 July, with the squad now returning to their base in Kansas to begin preparations.