By Daniel Akinte
“I felt in the build up it never felt like a round of 16 match. It feels almost like we won a final this last moment the referee takes the whistle to his mouth.”
Tuchel hailed the determination shown by his players throughout the contest.
“Forty or 50 minutes in altitude against a home country, this is a moment of joy. A heroic performance and a heroic result in the end.”
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He added: “So happy for the players, but also for me, to be part of this and live this experience. Such a special moment and to overcome it against all adversity is very special.”
“I’m exhausted and emotional.”
However, Tuchel revealed that the celebrations were overshadowed by an injury suffered by substitute Jordan Henderson.
“Jordan injured his wrist, it just doesn’t fit to the evening that Jordan is not with us.
“I don’t know the procedure, the doctor told me he is in the hospital.
Despite the memorable win, Tuchel insisted his attention had already shifted to the quarter-final.
“I will not talk about the semi-final when I am just into the quarter-final. Now we have the chance for some days off.
He also reflected on England finally ending decades of painful memories at the Mexico City Stadium.
“We had a very sad story with this stadium, we make peace with it today.”
Tuchel was also critical of the officiating after Mexico were awarded a second-half penalty.
“Referees are just not good enough. The fourth officials are just not good enough. That’s the bottom line.
“VAR overturns a clear and obvious error for the penalty. Was it a clear and obvious error? I think not.”
England captain Harry Kane described the victory as a testament to the team’s resilience.
“Playing Mexico here is about as big as it gets in the World Cup. We showed incredible character. We’ll enjoy this win tonight, but we know there’s still a long way to go.”
Reflecting on England’s defensive effort after being reduced to 10 men, Kane said:
“Everyone dug in. It wasn’t pretty at the end, but that’s what tournament football is about.”
Two-goal hero Jude Bellingham, who also produced a remarkable goal-line clearance to deny César Montes late in the game, credited the squad’s mentality.
“The mentality of this group is unbelievable. We knew we’d have to suffer here, and everyone gave absolutely everything.”
England players, including Kane, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, celebrated passionately with teammates after the final whistle as they secured a place in the last eight.
For Mexico, coach Javier Aguirre accepted responsibility for the defeat and apologised to supporters.
“First of all, I want to thank the fans for their support. We made a series of mistakes—things that should not happen—but that’s football.”
The veteran tactician admitted defensive mistakes proved costly.
“That cannot happen. You cannot make those mistakes. We made some errors that make me very sad. I feel sorry for the supporters.”
Despite the disappointment, Aguirre praised his players for their commitment throughout the tournament.
“We dreamed of reaching the final. That was our great ambition, but unfortunately we couldn’t achieve it. I congratulate my players.”
Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez, who converted a late penalty to reduce the deficit, expressed disappointment that El Tri could not complete the comeback despite enjoying a numerical advantage for much of the second half. He also thanked supporters for standing behind the team throughout the tournament.
Fans across the football world also reacted to the thrilling encounter.
Jeffrey Lilly expressed hope that the victory would transform England’s mentality.
“Here’s hoping this exorcises some demons for England, and gets all of those dour, doomsaying England fans to have some belief in this team. You can definitely beat anyone left on your side of the bracket. Enjoy the ride!”
Marc Willis praised the attacking approach of both sides.
“What a pleasure to finally watch a game where both teams are trying to win.”
David Dyte offered a humorous take on England’s progress.
“I can’t tell if football is coming home or not, but I feel like it’s searching for a good fare on Expedia right now.”
Rick McGahey weighed in on the heated nature of the contest.
“Welcome to CONCACAF. This type of overreaction, grabbing the ball, hyper-complaining, is a general feature of games in the region when the USA plays qualifiers. Ref should manage it, but it’s a feature not a bug.”
Peter Rehwaldt also criticised the behaviour of sections of the home crowd.
“I’d love to see FIFA empty the stands for the second half because of the homophobic chants from the Azteca fans. I also want a pony.”
