England emerged victorious in a thrilling World Cup last-16 game against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. The Three Lions looked as good as they ever have under Thomas Tuchel, despite having very little possession.
Here we are again. After decades of disappointment, upsets and heartbreaks, England have improved their record at major tournaments in recent campaigns, and following their dramatic 3-2 win against Mexico, they are into the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have been far from the most impressive team in North America, but they have always seemed (relatively) in control, even if they were not physically in control of the ball.
They opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an exciting 4-2 win over Croatia, followed up by a drab 0-0 draw against Ghana, before they wore down a resolute Panama defence to top Group L with a 2-0 victory.
The first 23 minutes against DR Congo gave many a scare as they fell behind, but Jude Bellingham scored his quickfire brace, Mexico had 65.6% of the ball. Despite the negative physiological effects of running more at a high altitude, the Three Lions were happy enough chasing the ball, though they were noticeably standing off more than usual, likely not wanting to do any unnecessary sprinting in those conditions.
Across the first half, Tuchel’s side had just 37.2% possession, yet were good value for their 2-1 lead. England created two big chances to Mexico’s one, and generated 0.75 expected goals (xG), again, more than El Tri (0.44).
For further context, England produced a mere 0.31 xG in the first half against Ghana when they had a whopping 78.4% of the ball, and only created 0.50 xG in the first 45 minutes against Panama when they had 71.9% possession. They failed to create a big chance in the first half of either of those games.
The Three Lions going down to 10 men with 36 minutes of normal time to go naturally reduced their ability to keep hold of the ball. Yet Mexico struggled to create opportunities for large portions of the half, and Kane’s 60th minute penalty restored England’s two-goal buffer.
Before they were awarded a penalty in the 67th minute, Mexico had not even created 0.5 xG. Dan Burn, an excellent penalty box defender, onto the pitch for the first time in North America, and the Geordie giant put in what can only be described as a monstrous performance. Burn made six clearances and two blocks in his late-game cameo, the joint-highest of any player on the pitch.
In total, England made 49 clearances against Mexico, their fourth-most in a men’s World Cup game on record (since 1966), and their most since a 1-0 win over Belgium in 1990 (54), which went to extra-time.
This fabled night in Mexico City showed the world what “Tuchel-ball” truly is.
It centres on a desire to constantly run and put bodies on the line, run without the ball, coupled with the flair and physicality of players like Kane, Bellingham and
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