England faced a tumultuous second half in their World Cup last-16 match against Mexico, resulting in a red card for defender Jarell Quansah and two penalty decisions, one for each side. The events unfolded after England had established a 2-0 lead through two early goals from Jude Bellingham.
Mexico pulled a goal back just before halftime through Julian Quinones, but the match's complexion shifted dramatically after the break. In the 54th minute, Jarell Quansah was shown a red card following a video assistant referee review. The review indicated that Quansah's challenge on Jesus Gallardo involved his studs leaving the ground and making contact with the opponent's shin. Former World Cup final assistant referee Darren Cann, speaking on BBC One, stated that "It is a clear red card," and that the laws of the game do not excuse the foul even if the ball was played first.
Shortly after going down to 10 men, England were awarded a penalty when Harry Kane converted from the spot, restoring their two-goal advantage. However, Mexico was also granted a penalty later in the match. Referee Alireza Faghani reviewed an incident where Kane appeared to clip Brian Gutierrez. After consulting the monitor, a penalty was awarded, which Raul Jimenez converted.
Cann described the penalty awarded to Mexico as legitimate, noting that "Kane unfortunately does kick the Mexico player's foot." He drew a parallel to a previous penalty decision involving Luka Modric. Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart also commented on the decisions, expressing that the referee's calls on both penalties and the red card were correct based on replays, acknowledging the high stakes of the moments.