Jude Bellingham was England’s saviour in Gelsenkirchen, producing a spectacular overhead kick in injury time to prevent an ignominous exit against Slovakia in the last 16 at Euro 2024. His goal was followed shortly after by Harry Kane’s winner in extra time.
That was enough for England to progress and postpone any kind of inquest after another unimpressive display against disciplined, well-organised opposition. Gareth Southgate looked visibly relieved as he hugged his players at the final whistle.
Bellingham will be especially popular in the dressing room after his moment of magic late on. And he reflected on the crucial goal immediately after the game.
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“It’s got to be up there,” he told UEFA when asked if the goal was the best moment of his career to date. “There’s a few nice ones, ones that mean a lot to me personally, but this one was so important, both for today and the mood change if it doesn’t happen. It’s right up there.
“It’s 20 or 30 seconds until we’re out of the European Championship and the mood now is a massive difference, and what it can do for the team going forward. It’s a massive moment, but it’s a long tournament and we’ll only know it if we go on to win the cup. We’ll decide in the next two weeks how important it is.
“You’re 30 seconds away from going home, feeling like you’ve let your nation down, and one kick of the ball and everything’s great. It’s a feeling I don’t want to be in, but when it comes, it’s a great feeling. Playing for England is a great thing, but it’s a lot of pressure as well. Being on the pitch and scoring goals for me is a release, it’s a very happy moment.”
Many onlookers have likened Bellingham’s meteoric rise to something from a movie. Everything seems to go to plan for the Real Madrid midfielder. Asked who writes his scripts on ITV, he replied simply: “I do.”
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