England had one foot and four toes on the plane back to London. But Jude Bellingham is a huge player, and he proved it again. After being beaten by a surprising Slovakia side in the last 16 of Euro 2024, the Three Lions endured a nightmare for over 90 minutes in Gelsenkirchen, at the home of Schalke 04, until their No.10 saved them from certain elimination.
The fifth of six minutes of stoppage time was played. Trailing since Schranz’s goal in the 25th minute, the English multiplied their attacks to equalize, but came up against Milan Skriniar and his teammates, who were particularly impenetrable. There were only 90 seconds left when Kyle Walker sent a very long throw-in into the Slovakian area. The ball was first deflected by Marc Guehi, who extended it towards the penalty spot. Jude Bellingham then attempted an improbable move, a monumental scissor kick that ended up in the Dubravka net.
This goal saves the Three Lions. Discreet for most of the match, the Real Madrid midfielder proves once again that he is one of the greatest talents in world football. In the running for the Ballon d’Or, after his Champions League triumph with the Merengues, the Englishman is getting closer to the greatest individual distinction thanks to this goal.
However, his team will have to finish the job in this round of 16, and advance through the following rounds. Thanks to Harry Kane’s goal at the start of extra time, the situation is well underway. But one thing is certain, it is Jude Bellingham who has once again left his mark.
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