England captain Harry Kane etched his name into FIFA World Cup history on Monday by becoming the first player since records began in 1966 to both score and concede a penalty in the same match.
Kane converted from the spot to help England secure a hard-fought victory despite playing with 10 men for much of the second half, overcoming the challenges of high altitude and a hostile home crowd to stay on course for a first major international title in six decades.
The Three Lions, who have relied heavily on Kane and Jude Bellingham throughout the tournament, booked a quarterfinal clash with Norway after the duo once again delivered. Bellingham opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the competition after meeting Kane’s cross.
England’s task became more difficult when Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute following a VAR review that upgraded his challenge on Jesus Gallardo to a straight red card.
Despite being a man down, England extended their lead six minutes later after Anthony Gordon was brought down by Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel inside the box. Kane calmly converted the resulting penalty to register his sixth goal of the tournament and his 73rd for club and country this season.
Mexico fought back late after Kane conceded a penalty by fouling Brian Gutiérrez, allowing Raúl Jiménez to score from the spot. However, England held firm through a tense finish to seal the win and advance to the last eight.
