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Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre accepted responsibility for his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 exit after a narrow 3-2 defeat to England, while praising his players for their commitment, according to The Athletic.
Mexico's hopes of reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 came to an end despite a spirited performance in front of a passionate home crowd at the Azteca Stadium. England, despite playing much of the second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off, saw Jude Bellingham score twice and was named Player of the Match, while Harry Kane added a second-half penalty as the Three Lions held off Mexico's late fightback. 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. The Mexico coach also took full responsibility for the team's elimination. "If there is any criticism, it should be directed towards me," he added. Meanwhile, Bellingham described his side's thrilling win over Mexico as the best night of his England career, according to The Athletic. "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. "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," he added. 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. The England midfielder was also named Player of the Match. England will now face Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after the Scandinavian side stunned Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16. (ANI)
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