Mexican player seems to ‘forget football rules’ as fans are confused by his illegal move against England
One of the most unusual moments of this World Cup happened during Sunday’s round of 16 match between Mexico and England—a Mexico player tried an illegal kick-off, and the clip quickly went viral.
England made it to the quarter-finals thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham (who scored twice), winning 3-2 at the Estadio Azteca in a thrilling game.
There were plenty of big moments, like Bellingham’s quick two goals in just 98 seconds and Kane’s classic penalty that gave England a two-goal lead. Mexico were eager to fight back right after Kane’s goal. One Mexican player got so excited that he double-touched the ball and dribbled forward during the kick-off, which is against the rules. Referee Alireza Faghani had to stop play and gave England a free-kick at the halfway line.
Fans quickly took to social media to talk about this rare illegal kick-off. Many said they’d never seen anything like it. One person wrote, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an illegal kick-off before?” Another said, “They were so caught up in the moment. Passion is important, but you have to stay in control.” Others compared it to how young kids sometimes do it in casual games.
England’s two-goal lead came from Bellingham’s first-half efforts, but Mexico’s Julian Quinones scored just before half-time, firing up the home crowd.
The second half was tough for England, especially after Jarell Quansah got a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Jesus Gallardo, following a VAR check. Mexico’s Raul Jimenez scored a penalty in the 69th minute, putting more pressure on the 10-man England team. But England held on, even through 11 minutes of added time.
After the match, Harry Kane sang along loudly to Oasis’ “Wonderwall” before giving his post-game interview. Fans got a real treat when he lost his voice mid-interview, laughing and saying, “My voice is gone! It was a crazy game; we had to fight hard. I’ve been singing so much, I can barely talk.” He added, “Everything was against us, but we found a way. I’m speechless—I can’t even talk.”