A late goal from Bellingham earns England 2-2 draw against Belgium

Jude Bellingham’s 95th minute equaliser secured a 2-2 draw for England against Belgium at Wembley Stadium.

Last Tuesday’s friendly was not the first time that defensive lapses were highlighted for England, who seemed on the brink of another loss against a top-ten FIFA-ranked team. However, Bellingham, despite missing two big chances early on, redeemed the team with a well-worked late goal.

The match began at a sluggish pace for England, further hampered by an additional injury setback. John Stones signalled to the sidelines after suffering an apparent injury, then hobbled off to be replaced by Joe Gomez.

Jarrod Bowen’s goal was annulled for offside by VAR and Bellingham squandered an easy chance, leaving Wembley in disbelief as Jordan Pickford unexpectedly conceded a goal to the opponents.

Belgium showcased their strong desire to win at Wembley, regaining the lead thanks to an outstanding assist from Romelu Lukaku

The Everton shot-stopper’s attempted clearance was intercepted, allowing Youri Tielemans to send a shot from 25-yards outside the box into the net as Pickford rushed to position himself in goal.

Belgium showcased their strong desire to win at Wembley, regaining the lead thanks to an outstanding assist from Romelu Lukaku. The Roma striker, on loan from Chelsea, forced Lewis Dunk into a defensive error, stealing the ball before delivering it to Tielemans at the far post with an audacious Quaresma-esque outside-the-boot cross. Aston Villa’s Tielemans netted his second goal of the evening, connecting with a diving header to get past Pickford.

A surprising turn occurred at Wembley when Bellingham, in a rare lapse, shot well over the goal from eight-yards out after England regained possession near the opposition’s goal.

Despite missing key players like Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Kyle Walker due to injuries, the home team recovered from the early disadvantages. Ivan Toney capitalised on a pass from Bellingham within the box, was fouled by Jan Vertonghen, and accurately dispatched the penalty to equalise for England.

Off the back of an eight-month ban for breaching Football Association rules on betting, Toney looked dominant and assured in the number 9 position during the absence of Kane. The Brentford captain used his physical prowess and hold up play to both maintain possession and enable counters that allowed the England attack to play free-flowing football. This was a performance that would surely put him in contention with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

Bowen provided something refreshingly new from that right-hand side, playing as more of a direct forward who looked to provide quick crosses into the box

Pickford was quick to thwart Jérémy Doku with a keen save as England began to dominate.

Bowen’s potential first goal for England was invalidated by VAR for offside. Following this, he sent a shot from the penalty area’s edge over the bar. Many would agree that Bowen deserved a lot more from the game.

Bowen provided something refreshingly new from that right-hand side, playing as more of a direct forward who looked to provide quick crosses into the box. No player created more chances than Bowen in the match and his performance causes a great headache for Gareth Southgate as he looks to bring in cover on right-hand side for the inevitable Bukayo Saka.

In the second half, England emerged without their names on their jerseys to bring attention to memory loss, a symptom of dementia, and sought to level the score when Phil Foden set up Toney.

However, Toney’s shot was deflected to safety by Matz Sels at the near post. Bellingham missed another significant opportunity, heading wide from an excellent position off a cross from Gomez. This was soon followed by Kobbie Mainoo being thwarted by a sharp save from Sels at the near post.

Bellingham stepped up to leave his mark on what was a challenging evening for England

Sels was instrumental to Belgium’s defence, keeping out the star-studded English attack for large parts of the game. He made five crucial saves and pundit Rob Green told Channel Four: “One of the compliments you can say for England is that Selz played well in goal for Belgium. He had a strong performance.”

Phil Foden later missed the target at the far post as England appeared to be heading towards yet another loss. Nevertheless, Bellingham stepped up to leave his mark on what was a challenging evening for England.

Doubts linger around the Euro 2024 frontrunners. Southgate’s performance against top-ten teams stands at seven victories, seven draws, and 11 losses, and as the clock ticks down, there’s still a lot to iron out before this summer’s competition in Germany.

However, despite injury concerns, the impressive array of depth that England possess was on show – which would prove an invaluable component to a side looking to win an international tournament.

More importantly, another star player that emerged from this game was Kobbie Mainoo. On his full international debut, he displayed poise and tranquility, weaving through midfield during the build-up to Toney’s penalty and demonstrating his versatility beyond a merely defensive role by pushing forward into the box.

Two days following the conclusion of the Premier League season, Gareth Southgate will announce his initial squad for Euro 2024

Mainoo’s assertive tackles in midfield earned commendation from his peers, and his aggressive pressing led to a mistake by Amadou Onana. The Manchester United academy graduate earned himself the man of the match award and will have England fans calling for him to start in this summer’s tournament.

On Tuesday 21 May, two days following the conclusion of the Premier League season, Gareth Southgate will announce his initial squad for Euro 2024. England is scheduled to play two international friendlies: Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park on 3 June, followed by a match against Iceland at Wembley on 7 June. Southgate must finalise his 23-player roster by Sunday 8 June.