Kolkata, July 7 -- There are matches that settle into a rhythm. Then there are some that are determined to reject that idea altogether. England's chaotic 3-2 Round of 16 victory over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium belonged to the latter. Lurching end to end, swinging violently between control and bedlam, it saw three goals in six first-half minutes, a straight red, a stunning save, a goalpost rebound, two penalties and enough momentum shifts to fill an entire knockout tie. At the centre of it all stood Jude Bellingham. By the final whistle, Bellingham had scored twice, produced a match-altering defensive intervention, and had become England's most influential player at both ends of the pitch. On an evening when a storm delayed the start and everything else felt unpredictable, Bellingham was the one constant. England stood to gain from it. They were in desperate need of that too given how they had barely enjoyed possession for the first 35 minutes. With co-hosts Mexico monopolising the ball, England were content on absorbed the pressure The breakthrough was beautifully ruthless. Raul Jimenez couldn't reach a lofted delivery into the England penalty area and Pickford immediately latched on to it. His throw released Declan Rice before Bukayo Saka accelerated into the open space down the right. Harry Kane dragged away the defenders as Saka's cross travelled untouched through the six-yard box to arrive in sync with an unmarked Bellingham, who scored with a low diving header at the far post. Before Mexico could process the setback, England struck again. This time Elliot Anderson won possession high up the pitch, and Anthony Gordon shifted the ball into Bellingham's path. He quickly exchanged passes with Kane whose return split the defence, allowing Bellingham to calmly finish from close. Yet the game refused to remain one-sided for long. Four minutes later, Roberto Alvarado whipped a dangerous free-kick into England's penalty area. After a fortunate ricochet, Julian Quinones reacted well to smash an instinctive goal. Pickford later made a full-stretched save to claw away Jimenez's powerful header. From the resulting corner, the ball dropped at the feet of Cesar Montes at the far post but Bellingham turned saviour, stretching his boot to kick the ball away. It was the sort of intervention that is usually forgotten if the attacking highlights dominate the post-match discussion. In this game though, it felt equally significant. If the first half had been frantic, the second found a higher gear. England nearly restored their two-goal cushion soon after the restart when Nico O'Reilly's sweetly struck volley cannoned off the upright with goalkeeper Raul Rangel beaten. Then came the moment that threatened to unravel everything. Jarell Quansah's needless studs-up challenge on Jesus Gallardo prompted protests from the Mexico bench, prompting the referee to consult VAR and issue a straight red. Down to 10 men with more than half an hour's game still left, England found another decisive moment. Off a quick counter, Gordon was put through, but he was brought down by Rangel in the box. Kane didn't complicate it. No stutter, no hesitation, he just ran in and drove powerfully into the corner despite Rangel diving in the right direction. Jimenez then closed the gap by converting a 69th minute penalty after Gutierrez was fouled by Kane. With 11 minutes of added time, Mexico pushed for parity. There were moments of quality, controversy, desperation and nerves almost every minute. But England intervened, blocked and cleared the ball like a team possessed to bury the ghosts of Azteca. England had only 33.2% possession - their lowest in a World Cup match on record since 1966 - while their 48 clearances were their most since the 54 made against Belgium in 1990. But in broader memory this will go down as a game that never paused for breath....