Thomas Tuchel's real story from Mexico vs England was not the 2-3 scoreline. It was his post-match fury at the officials, after England's VAR-heavy knockout win over Mexico ended with a red card, two penalties and a manager calling the referees “just not good enough.”

Tuchel's refereeing row

Tuchel did not hide where his anger sat. Speaking to express.co.uk, he said: “Just not good enough, the referees are just not good enough, the fourth official is just not good enough.” He was even more pointed about the VAR decision that led to the penalty, adding: “VAR overturns, a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not. They didn't even give a foul.”

That is the version of the night that will linger. England still finished on the right side of a 3-2 result, but the match had enough flashpoints to leave Tuchel talking about officials long after the final whistle.

The incidents that changed the game

The game swung hard in the first half and then again after the break. Jude Bellingham scored twice in quick succession, with England's first two goals coming in the 36th and 38th minutes. He finished with a 9.2 rating, and that kind of burst should have been the headline on its own.

Instead, Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for serious foul play after a VAR intervention. Harry Kane scored England's penalty in the 60th minute before Mexico were awarded and scored a penalty of their own. The match finished Mexico 2, England 3 at the Azteca on 2026-2-3.

Tuchel later praised the players' response, saying: “When a team has heart and it has belief, then this team did it on pure will. No words. An iconic match, an iconic stadium. We overcame so much adversity today. Full credit. I'm very proud.”

The mixed picture is clear enough. Bellingham's brace, Kane's contribution and England's resilience got them through, but Tuchel made sure the officials remained the loudest part of the conversation. England are through to the quarter-finals and face Norway next.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →