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England captain Harry Kane lauded his teammates' determination after the Three Lions defeated co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash to book a place in the quarterfinals.
"It doesn't get much better than that! Guts and courage from every single member of this squad. Proud of this team!" Kane wrote on X. https://x.com/HKane/status/2073999492081221693?s=20 Kane played a key role in England's thrilling 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico, converting a second-half penalty after Anthony Gordon was fouled inside the box. The goal was Kane's sixth of the tournament and helped England secure a place in the World Cup quarterfinals. Bellingham became the youngest player to make 10 FIFA World Cup appearances, surpassing the previous record held by Argentina's Mario Kempes, who was 23 years and 334 days against Poland in 1978. Bellingham was also named the Player of the Match. England have secured a place in the World Cup quarterfinals for the 11th time, with only Brazil (15) and Germany (14) having reached the last eight more often in the tournament's history, according to The Athletic. Captain Harry Kane has once again been central to England's campaign. His six-goal haul marks only the third instance of an England player scoring six goals at a major international tournament, matching his achievement at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and following Gary Lineker's six-goal campaign in 1986. Kane has also become the outright record-holder for the most World Cup penalty goals in regulation time, with six, two more than any other player, according to The Athletic. Bukayo Saka also reached a notable milestone, becoming only the third England player since 1966 to register three assists in a single FIFA World Cup, joining David Beckham (2002) and Harry Kane (2022). Kane continued his remarkable form against Mexico, registering a goal and an assist to take his tally to 81 goal involvements in 63 appearances for club and country across all competitions during the 2025-26 season (73 goals and eight assists). According to OptaJoe's X handle, Kane also became the first player on record since 1966 to both score a penalty and concede a penalty in the same FIFA World Cup match. (ANI)
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