Bellingham urges – England’s 3-2 last-16 victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night has set off celebrations in Mexico City and chaos at home, with Jude Bellingham urging fans to stay out and text bosses to avoid Monday work.
When the final whistle finally arrived around 4am, it didn’t feel like a match ending. It felt like the country switching modes—part celebration, part warning sign. England had just completed a nerve-jangling 3-2 triumph over Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. and millions in Britain rode the momentum into an exhausting all-nighter.
The stakes were simple and massive: Thomas Tuchel’s side won to return to the quarter-finals of the tournament and will face Norway in Miami on Saturday. In the stands. the roar of 62. 000 Mexican fans—among them the 18. 000 travelling England supporters—had been relentless. and the atmosphere was matched by the drama on the pitch.
Jude Bellingham set the rhythm early. He scored England’s first goal in the 36th minute, finishing from a diving header after a combination between Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. Then, just two minutes later, Bellingham struck again—his brace igniting the game and sending the England end into uproar.
But Mexico didn’t wait for the dust to settle. They pulled the score back to 2-1 through Julian Quinones after converting a free kick before half-time.
The second half brought more swings in momentum and more moments that will be replayed for years. At the 60-minute mark, Harry Kane scored England’s third after Anthony Gordon won a penalty. The advantage didn’t last quietly. Mexico were awarded a penalty a few minutes later after Kane was adjudged to have committed a foul in the box following a VAR check. with Raul Jimenez converting to make it 3-2.
There was also a turning point in the fight for control: Jarell Quansah was shown a red card in the second half. becoming the first England player sent off at the World Cup since Wayne Rooney in 2006. That forced England to hold their shape under constant pressure. with Jordan Pickford producing breathtaking saves. including a lightning reaction save in the first half from a diving header by Raul Jimenez.
England’s path to the win was anything but smooth. The match began with a jolt of controversy as Declan Rice received a yellow card in the opening minute for a high boot that clipped Luis Romo on the head, triggering howls and whistles from the partisan Mexican crowd as Rice went into the book.
Outside football, the night has become its own story. Even while celebrations were still underway in the UK, Bellingham appeared to understand exactly where the momentum would land. After collecting his player of the match award. he told England fans: “have another shot and text your bosses to say you’re not coming in tomorrow”.
He added when asked about how supporters might be celebrating back home: “I can imagine it’s carnage. No matter where you’re from or what you do I can imagine everyone is together.”
Bellingham said he dreams of bringing the country together with nights like this: “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.” He finished: “I am so proud of this team. What we have done tonight is spectacular.”.
Kane, meanwhile, was already running on fumes by the time of his post-match interview, having “lost his voice.” He also revealed that celebrations for some players had been “rather too enthusiastic,” with Jordan Henderson requiring medical attention after injuring his arm.
There were other details that underlined how unusual the night was—even before kick-off. The stadium sits 2,240m above sea level, and there was concern about the altitude. Lightning conditions delayed kick-off by an hour after the stadium entered lightning lockdown mode. following claps of thunder that echoed through the Azteca.
Mexico had been untroubled in the tournament at home until England arrived. The Mexico team had played ten World Cup matches at Estadio Azteca since 1970 and never lost any of them. They also had not conceded a single goal throughout the tournament before Kane and England changed that record. Mexico hadn’t suffered three goals against them in a match since 1999.
For the game itself. Mexico were given a dramatic stage—every seat in the 80. 824-capacity stadium was equipped with a Mexico flag to wave. The scoreline still ended with England’s survival. the final whistle coming after 11 minutes of extra time in the second half. and the result sealing their quarter-final place.
In Mexico City, celebrations were already turning spontaneous. After the match. fans broke into a rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” Hundreds of thousands of supporters were expected to take to the streets following the last-16 showdown. with 7. 500 police officers deployed to the Azteca Stadium and 6. 000 more in the city centre—described as the biggest operation ever seen for an England football match.
The city’s recent history adds extra weight to those plans. After a match against Ecuador last week, a million people crowded around the Angel of Independence statue in the city centre, and four people died in the crush.
In Britain, the mood is different—but no less intense. With the game wrapped up shortly after 4am, the expectation is that Monday morning will be messy. Employers are being warned to brace for a “mass sickie.” Some schools are allowing children to arrive as late as 11am without being marked as late. and remote workers are already joking about “moving their mouse” rather than getting properly productive.
At Wembley. northwest London. Lorcan Finn—who described himself as a 22-year-old engineer from Devon—said he had taken the day off work to stay up for the early-hours kick-off. calling it “stupid not to take the day off. ” unless someone works from home. Harry Becks. 27. from Ruislip in west London. said there was “no chance” he will go to work Monday and that he had already booked the day off.
Matt, 27, from Richmond in south-west London, was at the fan zone with his father Terry, 62, from Preston, and said he is also taking annual leave on Monday. Terry delivered his own blunt plan for the day: “I’m older, I do not work. I will wake up tomorrow at home, if I’m not dead!”
There are warnings behind the jokes. Experts have cautioned about the dangers of driving or doing physical work while exhausted. Dr Sophie Bostock from sleepscientist.com said: “If you’ve been awake for 24 hours and you’re planning to just ‘push through’. your reaction time slows by over 50 per cent.”.
The reported scale of disruption is already enormous. Industry sources say six million staff—almost one in five employees—have taken annual leave, three times more than usual. The economic cost could be significant if workers fail to show up or spend Monday less productive than they normally would.
Back at the heart of it, the football remains the spark that started the chain reaction. England’s win was built on Bellingham’s two goals in two minutes. the nerve required to survive a red card. and the composure Kane provided with his 60th-minute penalty. It ended with fans in Wembley. London and across the country throwing pints into the air after staying awake. and a Prince of Wales message on X—“Well done England!. Bring on the quarter final!”—arriving in the middle of it all.
Now the question isn’t whether England are through. They are. It’s what Tuesday brings after Monday’s hangover—because this time, the match has already written the rest of the story.
England vs Mexico Jude Bellingham Thomas Tuchel Harry Kane World Cup last-16 Norway quarter-final Estadio Azteca Declan Rice Jordan Pickford Jarell Quansah red card mass sickie