Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre has taken full responsibility for his team's 3-2 defeat to England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, a result that ended Mexico's hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986.
Heartbreaking Exit at the Azteca
Playing in front of a passionate home crowd at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico put up a spirited fight but ultimately fell short. England, despite playing much of the second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off, secured the win thanks to a brace from Jude Bellingham and a second-half penalty from Harry Kane.
Reflecting on the defeat, Aguirre described the result as heartbreaking but insisted his players had nothing to be ashamed of. "We are a family. It is very painful. Our dreams just shattered, but those 26 players have made me very happy. They have to hold their heads up high. They left everything on the pitch," Aguirre said, as quoted by The Athletic.
Coach Takes Full Blame
The Mexico coach also made it clear that any criticism should be directed at him. "If there is any criticism, it should be directed towards me," he added.
Bellingham's Record Night
Jude Bellingham, named Player of the Match, described the thrilling win as the best night of his England career. "It's probably one of the biggest England wins in a while, probably the biggest one I can remember as a fan or player. The best night of my England career, our England career, probably. Just unbelievable. I can't put it into words right now," Bellingham said, as quoted by The Athletic.
He added: "It's tough to gather everything together, the goals, the penalty against, the penalty for, the red card. It was a chaotic game but credit to Mexico, they were a different class. We never underestimated them for one minute and they were exactly as good as we thought they would be. But this team showed character tonight, and I'm proud."
According to FIFA, Bellingham, aged 23 years and six days, became the youngest player to reach 10 FIFA World Cup appearances, eclipsing the previous record set by Argentina's Mario Kempes, who was 23 years and 334 days when he faced Poland in 1978.
England's Quarterfinal Opponent
England will now face Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after the Scandinavian side stunned Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16.
