England winger Anthony Gordon has described being sworn at by Mexico manager Javier Aguirre during a World Cup match as "just a bit of fun" and "a compliment."
During a hydration break in the first half of England's dramatic 3-2 victory in the last 16 at the Azteca Stadium, Aguirre initially spoke to midfielder Jude Bellingham. He then called out to Gordon, who was near the touchline, shouting an explicit remark before both shared a laugh.
"I remembered it," Gordon said. "It's just a bit of fun. With all the heat and tension around the game, it was a bit of fun. I'd just run the full-back down the line so it was a bit of a compliment from him. That's how I took it anyway."
The moment was one of several lighthearted incidents from the match that gained traction on social media, alongside Harry Kane's post-match interview after losing his voice and defender John Stones feigning injury.
In the match itself, Bellingham scored twice to give England a 2-0 lead before Julian Quinones pulled one back for Mexico. Jarell Quansah received a red card for England, who then extended their lead through a Kane penalty. Raul Jimenez converted a Mexico spot-kick to make it 3-2, but England held on in a tense finale to advance to a quarter-final against Norway.
Gordon added that Aguirre, who has since left his post and been replaced by Rafael Marquez, seemed like a good person. "He seemed like a good guy, he was talking to me and Jude throughout the game," Gordon said. "There was a lot of tension in the game so to speak to me and Jude, I quite liked it."