Well, where on earth do I start? This was a game that had everything, but most of all it had what us fans want to see from an England team, namely, the right attitude, passion, urgency, fight, determination, character and a will to win like no other. England had all that in spades! Everything that could be thrown at us was thrown at us, but we dealt with it all to come out with one of the most incredible wins in the history of our team.

The first action saw Declan Rice booked, which seemed a little harsh but it certainly wasn't to be the last time in this match that the referee would favour the Mexicans. To be fair the atmosphere in this iconic stadium was electric from the start and you could sense that the Mexico crowd were baying for blood. England began slowly just trying to find their feet in a cauldron of noise. On six minutes the referee lectured Harry Kane following an altercation but two minutes later Anthony Gordon won a corner, and for a change Rice took it short to Marc Guehi but his cross was just overhit a little. A good idea though as Mexico expected the usual cross from Rice. By the tenth minute England had taken the sting out of the frantic start and were settling into a nice rhythm.

The Mexican players were desperately looking for every opportunity to throw themselves to the floor trying to win free-kicks. What is it with South American teams that they feel the need to do that? The good news was that England's defence looked much more solid than in the previous games and on 14 minutes a long pass from the back was so nearly brilliantly controlled by Bukayo Saka, but not quite, and the chance was gone. A minute later Mexico had their first real effort at goal and it was a good one. A fine diving header by Raul Jimenez was down low to Jordan Pickford's left and somehow the keeper got across to make a wonderful safe to tip the ball round the post. Two corners followed but England cleared both.

On 20 minutes Cesar Montes was lectured by the ref for a foul on the increasingly effective Jude Bellingham, and although the Mexican argued the toss, the ref still never cautioned him. Then a fine run by Gordon, who was also very lively, was only stopped at the expense of a corner but Mexico cleared that one. After a drinks break I noticed that England were playing a longer ball a lot more in this game and one splendid long clearance from Pickford found Gordon who cut inside and tested the goalkeeper with a shot.

England were working so hard all round the team with Bellingham prominent and you could feel the Mexican's tension as things were not going their way so far. England were biting in their tackles and when one was beaten another was there to back them up. A shot by Luis Romo flew high over the bar as Mexico tried to break through. Some of the challenges were not for the faint hearted and England were playing with much more urgency in everything they did and it made such a difference for the team and the fans. One thing though, why do referees never pick up on foul throws anymore, one throw-in by Nico O'Reilly was done with his back foot high in the air, and I saw several others, sorry it's my experience as a Sunday League ref coming out!

In the 36th minute the deadlock was broken by one of the best goals scored by England in many a long day. Pickford threw the ball to Rice in space, and he surged forward to gobble up the yards before laying the ball off to Saka. The Arsenal winger beat his man on the outside, hit over a great cross and there was Bellingham, following up to score with an unstoppable header. If that was good, then two minutes later we were all in heaven as this time Elliot Anderson intercepted the ball and between him and Gordon they worked it to Bellingham who laid the ball into the path of Kane. It looked for all the world that Kane would shoot but instead he squared to the far post and there was Bellingham again to tap-in his and England's second goal.

If we could have reached the break with a two goal cushion it would have been even more perfect but on 42 minutes Mexico were given a free-kick wide on the left. Saka never touched Johan Vasquez but, as usual, the player went down as though shot and the referee bought it. To make matters worse, when the free-kick came in Ezri Konsa mis-hit his clearance and the ball was volleyed home from ten yards by Julian Quinones giving Pickford no chance. It was the lifeline Mexico wanted before half-time.

As the half drew to a close the pressure on England was intense and two efforts close together from Jimenez almost brought Mexico level. The first, a shot just wide, and the second producing another fine save from Pickford. Good defensive play by Gordon brought the half to an end, a half full of incident and breathtaking moments.

The second-half started with England on the front foot and O'Reilly did really well to pull the ball back but alas there was no-one there to find a killer touch. But the move continued and the same player was desperately unlucky to see a firm low shot cannon back off the post. A real let-off for the Mexicans. On 51 minutes Bellingham was fouled after making a mazy run but didn't even warrant a free-kick. At the other end three minutes later Jarell Quansah ran across to stop Jesus Gallardo, won the ball, but his connection with it saw his foot connect with the shin of Gallardo. The referee didn't even give a free-kick but seconds later the tackle was referred to the VAR team and as a result the unfortunate Quansah was sent off. Now England were really up against it. But the next few minutes were crucial.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em was Kane's motto as he went down like a Mexican rolling in agony to win a free-kick. At the other end Quinones shot well wide and then Saka is sacrificed for John Stones in an effort to keep what we had. But straight after that England attacked and the ball ran for Gordon to beat the goalkeeper but then being unceremoniously brought down by Raul Rangel. A definite penalty. And who would we want to take such an important kick, yes, of course, and Kane did not let us down.

For the rest of the game it was real backs-to-the-wall stuff from England with Stones making some great blocks and two saves from Pickford who was commanding his box well. But there was still another sting in the tail to come. Kane cleared a free-kick from Brian Gutierrez with both players feet high in the air. Astonishingly, the VAR team called the referee's attention to the incident and a penalty to Mexico was the outcome. Unbelievable. Jimenez scored from the spot. As for the rest, the game was littered with fouls, near misses, good saves, great blocks and a determination from this England team which was heartwarming to see. THEY SHALL NOT PASS was the motto at this stage. There was a sense of relief as we reached the 90th minute until we saw that the referee added on ELEVEN minutes. More agony to come.

However, our lads were refusing to give up and they weathered any storm that was thrown at them on this night. In the end is was over 12 minutes added, I think the referee would have kept playing until Mexico equalised but it wasn't to be and that ghost of The Hand of God had been finally vanquished. What a performance by our team, and what a magnificent memory for all those many England fans who had gone through so much to be there. It really was a wonderful whole team effort. My Man of the Match? The whole team and the Subs too!!
  

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