The Estadio Azteca is a ground that has seen it all, but that makes Jude Bellingham’s achievement against Mexico all the more special.
England’s number 10 exacted some Azteca revenge with two goals in quick succession to give England what they thought was a comfortable first-half lead.
It wasn’t just an attacking threat that Bellingham offered either. He did the dirty work, and showed the kind of leadership you need from your talisman.
But the goals will make the headlines, as they should. He grabbed the World Cup first brace at the Mexico City ground since Diego Maradona in back-to-back games in 1986.
The first of those two was the infamous ‘Hand of God’ game, where the Argentine scored twice to break English hearts 40 years ago. He followed that up with a semi-final brace against Belgium a few days later.
Bellingham’s feat, though, is even more impressive. He took a leaf out of teammate Kylian Mbappe’s book, mimicking the speed of the Frenchman’s rapid-fire 2022 World Cup double. Both scored two in under two minutes.
The Azteca is a cauldron — one of the most intense atmospheres in world football — and Bellingham handled the heat. Some players didn’t.
Jarell Quansah, for example, let the pressure of the occasion get to him. He was having a good game before putting in that reckless challenge and quickly being dismissed.
It’s hard to be too harsh on Quansah for losing his head somewhat, but we can absolutely praise Bellingham for handling it in the best way possible.
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