They played their fifth match in a World Cup, yes, but they will still not play what had been the fifth match until this edition. Even being at home, with a majority of their own fans, favorable geographical conditions, bothering their rivals in the lead-up, and having one extra player for more than half an hour, Mexico could not beat England and advance to the quarter-finals.
The match would start off extremely contested, with no clear dominator imposing conditions. The first to break the mold would be the locals, who at 15 would come close to opening the scoring with a diving header from Raúl Jiménez, but this would be saved by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a timely punch.
From this chance, the Mexicans would begin to control the flow of the game, maintaining possession for long periods and approaching the opponent's area repeatedly. However, their few dangerous attempts would be much more effective, as in a burst they would score two goals: at 36, Jude Bellingham would head in a great cross from Bukayo Saka and just a few seconds later, the very No. 10 would receive an assist from Harry Kane in the area and score the 2-0.
The response from the Tri would not take long to arrive. Minutes after the last goal, following a cross from Roberto Alvarado, the ball would fall to Julián Quiñones, who would volley to reduce the deficit.
Although they would have several opportunities to equalize, such as a shot from Jiménez near the left post of Pickford, a header from the very No. 9 that the English goalkeeper would deflect to a corner, or an attempt from César Montes just under the goal that Bellingham would manage to clear just in time, Javier Aguirre's team would not manage to change the score again before halftime.
