Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre was caught trolling Anthony Gordon by television cameras during the first half hydration break of their World Cup round of 16 tie against England. The one-time Atletico Madrid boss seemed to shout 'f**k you' at the former Newcastle United player as the break came to a close.
Light-hearted exchange on the pitch
Gordon turned around in response to his name being called, and it looked like Aguirre went on to say 'f**k off' before almost instantly breaking out into a wide smile. Gordon seemed to see the funny side, too, but did look somewhat bemused about what was happening on the sideline. Aguirre also engaged in an animated exchange with Jude Bellingham during the pause, with the England player walking off with a smile on his face.
Gordon's impact on the match
The score was still 0-0 at the time, but barely 20 seconds later, Gordon latched onto a long kick forward by Jordan Pickford. He managed to keep the ball in before beating Jorge Sanchez on the byline and firing off England's first shot of the match. Bellingham also made an almost immediate impact soon afterwards, opening the scoring with a diving header and then doubling the lead inside 98 seconds after another first-time finish.
Mexico halved the deficit before half-time, and England were reduced to ten when Jarell Quansah was sent off early in the second half. However, it was Gordon who won the penalty that Harry Kane converted after being brought down by opposition goalkeeper Raul Rangel, having latched onto a flick-on from the captain. Raul Jimenez pulled one back after Kane conceded a spot-kick, but England held on and advanced to the quarter-finals.
Gordon's post-match reaction
Gordon spoke to BBC Sport after the match, saying: "I think it probably won't kick in until this evening. To celebrate like we just did was once in a lifetime. We spoke about this being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and atmosphere, but it was also going to test us, and it did in the worst way possible. We came through. That can't say any more about us."
He added: "It was difficult. The altitude during the first 20 minutes was difficult. We're good players, we play the top level, that's what we're paid to do. We knew it would be tough, but big players, big moments. When we got a man sent off, I knew I'd have to be trustworthy and run more than ever. I'm a player where I want to be good at everything. Whatever kind of game I'm in, I can change the game. I try to do my best for the team, and hopefully I've done that. We focus on the process, how we play, how we train. The outcome we can never control, but we can control how we react, how we train, and that's doing us well so far."
