Ацтек цэнгэлдэхэд Англи Мексикийг буулган авсан нь түүхэн хожил боллоо

Nobody will be forgetting that in a hurry.

Wherever, however and whenever you watched it, England’s epic 3-2 victory over Mexico in the last 16 of this World Cup will live long in the memory.

But what about its place among the men’s team’s all-time greatest results or performances?

We asked our writers.

It’s hard (maybe impossible?) the morning after the night before, to look at England’s performance against Mexico and not be swayed by the high drama and intense emotion of one of this tournament’s standout games.

When I try to rank it against other impressive England performances (in my lifetime), I think of the disbelief of watching them outplay the Netherlands in a 4-1 victory at Euro 96, the surreal night when a Michael Owen hat-trick helped England come from 1-0 down to beat Germany 5-1 in a qualification game for the 2002 World Cup in Munich and the catharsis of finally winning a penalty shootout at a World Cup against Colombia in the round of 16 in 2018.

Some of those opposition teams might have contained better players than the Mexico side England beat at the Azteca. Some of the England performances in those games might have been more stylish or dominant. But none of those games tick all the boxes that last night’s game does.

A World Cup knockout match. In front of a riotously partisan crowd. The shenanigans in the build-up around kick-off time and hotel disruptions. Concerns around altitude and England’s lack of time to adjust. A weather delay. And all of that before the game even started.

Then it was 101 minutes of their resolve being tested time and time again. Of being brave, even after going a man down early in the second half. Of adjusting, time and time again, to what was playing out on the pitch. Of recognising everything that was against them but saying: ‘We’re gonna do it anyway.’

I can’t think of another England men’s performance that ticks all of those boxes.

Sarah Shephard

This was a game that will be remembered fondly not just for the result, but also the manner in which it was earned. English football has often been a story of valiant and noble defeat. Lionhearted characters battling through blood, sweat and tears, but often falling short. Mexico 2-3 England is the entire folklore made plain.

Those who watched it live will tell stories about where they were and what they felt for years and years to come. This is perhaps the most important win England’s men’s team have ever had on foreign soil. If a stranger ever wants to know, ‘Why does England love football so much?’, show them this game. In full. Let them ride the entire emotional rollercoaster.

Harry Kane grabs Declan Rice as England’s celebrations begin (Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images)

It was a win that speaks to how England fans view football both as a sport and as a cultural phenomenon. England beat Mexico by doing all of the things England are known for… without the devastating defeat at the end.

To be an England fan is to know heartache, struggle and – more often than not – failure. But not on this day.

Carl Anka

Last night was heroic, but I wouldn’t call it the best I have seen. In terms of tournament performances, I would go for a top three of:

• 1) England 1-1 (3-4 on pens) West Germany, 1990 World Cup semi-final
• 2) England 4-1 Netherlands, Euro 96 group stage
• 3) England 2-2 Argentina (3-4 on pens), 1998 World Cup round of 16

You’re going to point out that England lost two of those games on penalties, aren’t you? Fair enough. But I don’t think it’s a case of what some people call an English love of heroic failure.

That semi-final against West Germany — best remembered for missed penalties and Paul Gascoigne’s tears — saw England go toe-to-toe with the best team at the tournament, perform brilliantly (not just Gascoigne, but Chris Waddle, Des Walker, Mark Wright and so many others) and end up on the wrong side in a game neither team deserved to lose.

England were beaten by West Germany on penalties in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup (Simon Bruty/Allsport/Getty Images)

I would say last night was similar to that 1998 match against Argentina in that it was a battle against adversity, having had a player sent off. The quality of the opposition was nothing like so high, but so many other factors — the atmosphere, the altitude, the way Mexico played — made it an enormous test of character.

It wasn’t a performance that ticked every box like the West Germany 1990 game, but in terms of spirit and resolve, it was epic.

Oliver Kay

I think a couple of things are going on here. The mythos of this game is bestowed by the Azteca. We rarely see England go to these temples in tournaments. England did not play, for instance, at the Maracana at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. The team went out too early. England have had no cause to go to Argentina and do something at the Monumental. So the stadium and the conditions add to the epic sweep of the narrative around the game.

As for the spectacle itself, when England are engaged in games like this at World Cups, they tend to be heroic defeats — as was the case in Turin against West Germany in 1990 or in Saint-Etienne against Argentina in 1998.

England’s players celebrated with supporters inside the Azteca at length following the final whistle (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

To reverse the trend lifts this game in my opinion. In terms of lore, this is probably England’s greatest-ever result away from home, given it was against an unbeaten co-host, in their own backyard. But more generally, the best I’ve ever seen England play at a major tournament was the 4-1 win over the Netherlands at Euro 96.

James Horncastle

As with Oli, my England memories go back a long way, to the 1980s. The 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany was a classic, and you went through so many emotions watching it. England were brilliant. But, ultimately, we were beaten.

If we’re talking about performance and result, and also thinking about the calibre of the opposition, I think the 4-1 win over the Netherlands at Euro 1996 has to be No 1 (in my lifetime). Two years later, England played heroically against Argentina at the World Cup, despite David Beckham’s red card. But, again, we lost on penalties.

David Beckham was sent off in England’s last-16 defeat by Argentina at the 1998 World Cup (Gerard Cerles/ AFP via Getty Images)

I’m torn as to where the Mexico game ranks because, well, winning is important, right? Granted, this isn’t a victory over one of the strongest football nations. But for England to beat Mexico at the Azteca, in that atmosphere, with 10 men, that’s pretty special.

For those reasons, I’d say it’s not far off the Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham show against the Netherlands in Euro 96.

Stuart James

For a generation who have only heard tales about Italia 90 and Euro 96, let alone the pioneers who brought it home in 1966, it is in a league of its own.

Everything was against England, but for once, even after going down to 10 men, they were not against themselves.

They have beaten better opposition than Mexico. They have come closer to silverware than this. But along with the quality and chemistry of the side, it was the gritty and typically English way that they overcame everything that made this the greatest footballing night people of my age (20) have ever experienced.

England also reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022, but lost to France (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)

Maybe it was also because England have a genuinely world-class manager at the helm, leading to the belief rather than hope that this tournament was within their grasp.

It was one for the ages, watching a group of players play with the same will as their supporters who were kicking every ball, 5,500 miles away.

George Edwards

For those of us born in the 21st century who were not around for, say, Euro ’96, and do not remember the high points of the ‘Golden Generation’, nothing comes close.

There were performances under Gareth Southgate where they looked more in control than they did at the Azteca — the 2-0 win against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 felt significant, as did the semi-final comeback against the Netherlands at Euro 2024. And yes, it was ridiculously nervy, and moments of ill-discipline made England lives harder.

Ollie Watkins’s 91st-minute goal secured England’s place in the final of Euro 2024 (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

But this century, it is hard to think of another occasion where England have been so impressive in terms of how their individual quality shone through, how they adapted to incredibly challenging circumstances, and how they showed clear understanding of their coach’s demands.

In the past, it has felt as though England could play as a complete team, or they could have individual stars providing the key moments, but not both at once. Thomas Tuchel seemed to get that balance spot on last night, and has clearly cultivated a squad that will cover every blade of grass for each other.

Cerys Jones

In my lifetime, as someone born in the mid-1980s, it is very close to the top.

England have shown themselves capable of battling adversity before, or of producing whole-hearted, thrilling performances, but those games have usually ended in defeat, providing only a hollow sort of accomplishment. Think of the magnificently defiant effort against Argentina in Saint-Etienne in 1998, Germany in the semi-final of the 1996 European Championship, or the loss on penalties to West Germany at Italia 90. Those were great, great games. Passion plays, really. But they are bittersweet memories which, to this day, are painful to rewatch.

England still won hearts in those defeats, and that’s probably why they remain so present in the culture, all these years later, but what a relief to have both — to see the courage rewarded with an actual victory.

As a technical performance, the win over Mexico was not that accomplished. But it was a bloody-minded slog through the rain, the altitude, and a numerical disadvantage which, in the abstract sense, is as close to our idealised self-image as it’s possible to get. It stirred the soul and it was a source of tremendous pride.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

The Hand of God? Forget that. Now it is the head of Jude Bellingham, the foot of Harry Kane and the athleticism of Jordan Pickford that England fans will remember the Azteca Stadium for. And much more.

England’s display in beating a Mexico side who are so dominant in their iconic home venue was a backs-to-the-wall masterclass of heart, soul, determination and perspiration.

It should, rightly, be held aloft as one of the greatest in the nation’s footballing history for the sheer context — a World Cup knockout game at high altitude against a side that hadn’t conceded a goal in the entire tournament previously, and with an entire co-host nation baying for them to fail.

England’s players ran towards supporters at the Azteca to celebrate (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)

They didn’t. They stood tall and fought like lions and had to weather storms above and on the pitch, especially after going down to 10 with over 30 minutes still to play, which became 40 with stoppage time.

If ever England could bottle a performance for posterity, it would be this vintage display.

Rob Tanner