Thomas Tuchel makes complaint to FIFA after England's win against Mexico

Who's tired on this fine Monday morning, then?

Well, at least staying up until the sky was brightening and the birds were singing was all worth it as England pulled off a historic victory in the World Cup last 16 over Mexico.

The sensible souls who went to bed missed an all-time classic, with the Three Lions digging deep to win 3-2 in remarkably challenging circumstances in a hostile Azteca.

With the fates seeming to conspire against them, England defied the footballing gods, with Jude Bellingham scoring a quick-fire brace and Harry Kane firing in a penalty for the victory.

But oh if only it was so simple.

Instead, life was made dramatic and difficult when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge in the 54th minute.

England managed to go 3-1 up after being reduced to 10 men but captain Kane then gave away a penalty, which was converted by Raul Jimenez.

That set up a final 30 minutes of action which was so tense you could have cut it with a dessert spoon, but England prevailed.

There were special celebrations in the aftermath - though Jordan Henderson did suffer a serious wrist injury amid them - but Thomas Tuchel wasn't completely happy afterwards.

Thomas Tuchel takes shots at FIFA for the standard of refereeing

After the game, manager Tuchel unleashed his pent-up fury towards the standard of refereeing in the tournament.

"They’re just not good enough. The referees are just not good enough," the German told the BBC.

"The fourth officials are just not good enough. That’s the bottom line."

Thomas Tuchel did not hold back about the officials after England's win over Mexico 😳 pic.twitter.com/O7i1wFxxer

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026

Australian referee Alireza Faghani was the man in the middle for the match, while Tuchel also raised concerns with the nationalities of the VAR officials.

He continued: "Did I see that right that three of the VAR officials are from South America?

"In a match like this? I think so, that’s what I saw. If this is correct…

"VAR overturns the decision for the [Mexico] penalty. Is it a clear and obvious error? For sure not. But VAR get involved.

"Earlier he doesn’t even give a foul and they overturn it and give us a red card. The referees are not good enough."

However, Tuchel did at least cheer up a touch when he talked about his team's performance, which he showered in praise.

"If a team has heart and belief, then it’s this team. They did it on pure will," he added.

"I have no words. That’s an iconic match, an iconic stadium. We overcame so much adversity today. Very proud."

Joe Hart disagrees with Thomas Tuchel

The criticism didn't sit well with former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, though, who thought the referee got the major decisions bob on.

"I think he has got that wrong," the BBC pundit said. "I don’t know why he has gone so hard on that after such an impressive performance.

"I get it, against all the odds, the red card and the penalties, but I don’t think they were borderline decisions. I thought they were decent decisions in the end."

England advance to the quarter-finals in which they'll meet Norway in Miami on Saturday, 11 July, after Erling Haaland's side knocked out Brazil earlier on Sunday.

World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick-off times

Monday, 6 July

Round of 16 - Match 93: Portugal vs Spain, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US

Tuesday, 7 July

Round of 16 - Match 94: USA vs Belgium, kick-off 1am - Seattle, US

Round of 16 - Match 95: Argentina vs Egypt, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US

Round of 16 - Match 96: Switzerland vs Colombia, kick-off 9pm - Vancouver, Canada

Thursday, 9 July

Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US

Friday, 10 July

Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US

Saturday, 11 July

Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US

Sunday, 12 July

Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US

Tuesday, 14 July

Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US

Wednesday, 15 July

Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US

Saturday, 18 July

Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US

Sunday, 19 July

Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US