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Mexico target England's 1966 clean-sheet record as Jimenez eyes Pickford again

Mexico have kept four consecutive clean sheets at the 2026 World Cup and need just 83 more scoreless minutes to surpass England's 1966 record of 442. Raul Jimenez, who has scored six career goals against Jordan Pickford, leads their attack into the last-16 tie at the Estadio Azteca.

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Mexico target England's 1966 clean-sheet record as Jimenez eyes Pickford again
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Mexico enter their 2026 World Cup last-16 clash with England at the Estadio Azteca chasing a piece of history, needing 83 more scoreless minutes to surpass the Three Lions’ own record of 442 consecutive minutes without conceding, set during their 1966 World Cup-winning campaign.

Goalkeepers Raul ‘Tala’ Rangel and 40-year-old veteran Guillermo Ochoa have shared the shutout burden across Mexico’s group stage, combining for 360 goalless minutes against South Africa, South Korea, Czechia and Ecuador. Rangel has been responsible for 348 of those minutes, while Ochoa — who has announced he will retire after the tournament — made a 12-minute appearance in the 3-0 victory over Czechia.

Should Mexico silence England and push their run beyond 442 minutes, they would still have the all-time World Cup record in their sights: Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga went 517 minutes without conceding at the 1990 tournament, a benchmark that would require a deep run into the knockout rounds.

Leading Mexico’s attack is Raul Jimenez, 35, who the squad regard as their own Harry Kane — and the statistics offer England’s goalkeeper a sobering warning. Jimenez has scored six career goals against Jordan Pickford, more than against any other goalkeeper, with five of those coming during his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers and one for Fulham against Pickford’s Everton in May 2025.

Jimenez’s presence at this World Cup is itself a remarkable story. In November 2020, he suffered a fractured skull in an aerial collision against Arsenal and required life-saving surgery, yet returned to light training within two weeks. Now, having already scored twice in the group stage, he sits on 47 international goals for Mexico — six short of the national record of 52 held by Javier Hernandez.

England’s 1966 run without conceding was eventually ended by Eusebio in the semi-finals, a tournament that also saw Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal set an unwanted record for the most goals conceded across multiple World Cup appearances (25). Javier Aguirre’s side will be determined to rewrite that chapter of history at the Azteca.

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