Bellingham scores twice as 10-goal thriller sends England past Mexico at the Azteca

Jude Bellingham scored twice to send England into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory over Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium, a result sealed in the early hours of Monday morning UK time after a one-hour weather delay pushed kick-off back to 2am.

The Real Madrid midfielder, 23, now has five goals at this World Cup and was in no mood to understate the occasion afterwards. Asked to send a message to supporters who had stayed up through the night, Bellingham said: “Have another shot and text your bosses to say you’re not coming in tomorrow. That’s about it. My god, if you can’t enjoy a night like this, just for one night, then I don’t know what it’s worth.”

Pubs across England had been granted a special licence to remain open until 5am, and Bellingham admitted he could only imagine the scenes back home. “I can imagine it’s carnage,” he said. “No matter where you’re from or what you do, I can imagine everyone is together. That is the thing I dream of — being a part of this England squad, bringing my country together, giving them nights like this that they will enjoy for many years to come. I am so proud of this team. What we have done tonight is spectacular.”

Despite the euphoria, Bellingham was quick to refocus attention on what comes next. England will face Norway in the quarter-final in Miami on Saturday, after Erling Haaland’s brace earned Stale Solbakken’s side a shock 2-1 win over Brazil.

“It is still one game at a time,” Bellingham said. “At the end of the day it is just a round of 16 win. The quarter-final — Norway pose a different threat, some that we know really well, some world-class players in there, so we will have to be ready.”

Among those world-class players is Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who will line up alongside Haaland as Norway look to extend one of the tournament’s most surprising runs. England will need to be at their sharpest if they are to reach the semi-finals.