Quote · The Bill Simmons Podcast
England Survives, the Jaylen Trade Fallout, and an All-NBA Mailbag With Zach Lowe
Where this was said
England defeats Mexico 3-2 in the World Cup
At 12:52 · chapter starts 1:15
The hosts immediately dive into the England-Mexico match, with both agreeing there is simply nothing in sport that matches the weight of a World Cup knockout game. Zach Lowe articulates why: the every-four-years format makes every missed opportunity feel like a lost lifetime. Bill Simmons sets the scene at Azteca — an arena he visited in 2009 for a USA-Mexico qualifier — recalling how close the stands are to the pitch, the projectiles thrown at corner kicks, and the nerve-racking business of getting out safely after Mexico loses. England went up 2-0, Mexico clawed back via penalty kicks, England played a man down for the final stretch, and Jordan Pickford made several crucial saves to preserve the win. Simmons likens Jude Bellingham's role to Jaylen Brown playing second fiddle to Jayson Tatum — a joke that immediately gets called 'too soon.' Lowe also mourns Croatia's VAR-disallowed last-second equalizer against Portugal, declares he's throwing his allegiance to Norway, and goes full nuclear on replay technology across all sports: he wants VAR thrown into the ocean and NBA ref huddles abolished entirely. The pair debate whether offside rules should require millimeter precision or just a distinct lead, and Lowe drops his two main World Cup reform takes — no automatic tier-1 status for host nations, and reseed the bracket after the group stage.
England defeated Mexico 3-2 in the World Cup Round of 16, playing a man down for a significant stretch in a wildly dramatic match at Estadio Azteca.
England defeated Mexico 3-2 at Azteca in the World Cup Round of 16, going up 2-0 before Mexico clawed back to tie via penalty kicks — all with England playing a man down. Azteca's atmosphere is unlike anything in sports: fans throw things at corner kicks, try to find the opposing team's hotel, and shoot fireworks at their buses.
Mexico had not lost a real international game at Azteca in approximately 13 years before England's Round of 16 victory.
After Croatia had a goal disallowed by VAR in the final seconds of their World Cup exit, Zach Lowe declared war on replay technology across all sports. He doesn't want to watch NBA refs huddle anymore, he doesn't want soccer's VAR hair-follicle offside checks — he wants results to stand on the field, full stop.
US striker Balogun shot 49% from three and averaged 16 points per game in the World Cup playoffs before his red card, which was later intervened upon and overturned.
