As Jordan Pickford punched away the umpteenth Mexican cross and the Australian official blew the final whistle, Jude Bellingham collapsed in victory inside the England penalty area. Battered, bruised, exhausted. Sometimes, the Real Madrid midfielder’s histrionics are a tad over the top. Not this time.
The magnitude of the stage – the World Cup’s most iconic stadium – was inescapable. England were public enemy No 1, facing the co-hosts in their near-impenetrable Azteca fortress. And at an altitude of 7,200ft, Bellingham did not catch his breath: he was simply breathless.
