Jude Bellingham rescues England with last-gasp equaliser against Belgium

 

 

It was a night when England wanted to impose themselves as an attacking force, after the frustration of their 1-0 defeat here against Brazil on Saturday, and they did. There was a goal from the penalty spot for Ivan Toney on his full debut and a virtuoso performance from another player making his first England start – the fearless 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.

On this evidence, and what Mainoo has shown since breaking into the Manchester United team in November, the midfielder has made a serious case to gatecrash Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championship finals this summer.

Jarrod Bowen advanced his claim, too, with his best performance in an England shirt while Phil Foden was a constant threat. So, much to like for Southgate and in addition there was the fighting spirit that drove England until the very end.

Now for the bad bits. There were extreme levels of profligacy, Jude Bellingham a culprit, Foden as well, while there were two horrible blunders from a defence that was the definition of makeshift. It looked to have pressed England towards an undeserved defeat.

The first concession was a personal disaster for the goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, who erred with a clearance, while the second stemmed from a Lewis Dunk miskick. Youri Tielemans punished England on both occasions. And yet Southgate’s team refused to wallow.

It ought to have been over in the 92nd minute when Belgium surged forward on the break, England caught cold. Jérémy Doku played the final pass and there was Dodi Lukebakio, on as a substitute, with only Pickford to beat. He fired high.

England’s pulse was faint. The four additional minutes would expire. And yet there was one last surge, Dunk winning a header, James ­Maddison, on as a substitute, ­heading forward for another replacement, Ollie Watkins, to chase to the byline. Somehow, the Aston Villa forward retrieved the ball, which allowed Maddison to craft a lovely cut-back and there was ­Bellingham. The ­midfielder had fluffed two gilt‑edged chances but now he took a touch to steady himself before guiding home with a cool sidefoot.

Southgate had wanted a statement victory against a high-ranking ­opponent, the focus having fallen on his record against the very best after the Brazil defeat. Against the eight highest-ranked European teams (taking in Croatia) along with Argentina and Brazil, he had won eight and lost 12 of 28 matches. The manager did not get his wish here but it almost felt like a win, especially after what had happened at the outset.