After a Youri Tielemans double had seemed to smash and grab victory in an enthralling friendly, Jude Bellingham scored in stoppage time to win an excellent England 2-2 Wembley draw with Belgium on Tuesday.
After an error in clearing by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Tielemans scored in the eleventh minute. Shortly after, making his debut for his country, Ivan Toney equalized with a penalty.
It was unfair on England, who seemed completely different from the team that lost to Brazil on Saturday in terms of style, and they deservedly earned their late equalizer.
“I knew the rubbish we would’ve got if we had lost two games on the bounce,” Bellingham said.
“These are two games that will help us, but we should be winning with all the opportunities we’ve had.” I’m aware that some individuals will be negative, but we must focus on the good.The management will be pleased with our performance, I’m sure. We must be satisfied with our performance, even if you’re never pleased with a defeat or a draw.”
John Stones’ early retirement due to an adductor injury, which was replaced by Joe Gomez, is one aspect that Southgate will not be pleased with. This adds to England’s possible defensive problems after Kyle Walker’s injury in the encounter against Brazil.
Compared to Saturday’s lackluster contest, in which England hardly managed to register a shot against Brazil, the battle between third-ranked England and their fourth-ranked opponents seemed quite different. After 20 seconds, Toney blasted over from a Jarrod Bowen cross.
With their peculiar combination of light blue jerseys and brown shorts contrasted with England’s charcoal gray uniforms, Belgium took the lead when Jordan Pickford miscued a clearing, which dropped to Amadou Onana before finding Tielemans, who fired it into the empty goal.
After Jan Vertonghen took down Toney, England responded with a penalty kick six minutes later. The Brentford striker celebrated his first start by scoring his first goal with his signature two-step technique.
It was a pivotal moment for Toney and his chances of making the Euro team, as his opponents as Harry Kane’s backup failed to provide much of a case.
After a corner kick in the 26th minute, Bowen felt he had furthered his cause when he tapped in from close range, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
But when Bowen and Bellingham both missed decent shots on Saturday, England was playing with a vitality and vigor that was sorely lacking.
However, Lewis Dunk, the center defender who was responsible for Brazil’s winning goal, made another error that allowed Belgium to re-enter. After thirty-six minutes, Romelu Lukaku seized the opportunity to flick in a lovely cross with the outside of his foot, which an unmarked Tielemans met with a diving header.
With Toney, Bellingham, and Foden all coming close to scoring, and the incredible 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo making a compelling case for a spot in the Euros, England continued to generate opportunities in the second half.
However, Belgium played strong defense and seemed to have done enough until the hosts launched a last-gasp assault down the left, where substitute James Maddison curled in a low cross that was expertly placed in by the very talented Bellingham.
Although it made the supporters of England pleased, it also meant that Belgium’s winning streak under Domenico Tedesco reached 12 games.
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
