Gordon laughs off Aguirre's expletive during England's World Cup win over Mexico

Anthony Gordon has shrugged off a profane remark from Mexico manager Javier Aguirre during England's dramatic 3-2 victory in the World Cup round of 16, calling it "just a bit of fun" and even a "compliment". The incident occurred during a first-half hydration break at the Azteca Stadium, when the 67-year-old Aguirre first chatted with Jude Bellingham, then shouted an explicit phrase at Gordon as both stood near the touchline. Both men laughed it off. "I remembered it," said Gordon, who completed a summer move from Newcastle United to Barcelona. "It's just a bit of fun. With all the heat and tension around the game, it was a bit of fun." The winger added that he had just run the full-back down the line, which made him interpret the outburst as a backhanded compliment. "That's how I took it anyway," he said. The match itself was filled with drama. Bellingham scored twice to put England 2-0 up, only for Julian Quinones to pull one back for the co-hosts. A red card for Jarell Quansah left England a man down, but Harry Kane restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot. Raul Jimenez replied with a spot-kick of his own to make it 3-2, but England held on for a tense win that set up a quarter-final clash with Norway on Saturday, 11 July. Aguirre, who has previously managed Atletico Madrid, Mallorca and Espanyol over a 31-year career, has since left his role and been replaced by Rafael Marquez. Gordon, however, had only good things to say about the Mexican boss. "He seemed like a good guy, he was talking to me and Jude throughout the game," Gordon added. "There was a lot of tension in the game so to speak to me and Jude, I quite liked it."