……’Bellingham goal will go down in England history’
England 2-1 Slovakia
LONDON-(MaraviPost)-Jude Bellingham scores a stunning injury-time goal to send England into extra time against Slovakia in the Euro 2024 last-16 match at Gelsenkirchen.
The clock timer inside the giant Arena AufSchalke had ticked around to 94 minutes 34 seconds when Jude Bellingham took to the air to produce an iconic moment that will take its place alongside the great England goals.
England had only 86 seconds to spare themselves from the humiliation of a defeat against Slovakia that would sit uncomfortably in the chamber of sporting horrors alongside the loss to Iceland at Euro 2016.
Failure to do so would surely have signalled the end of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager – it may still come soon irrespective of their fate in Germany – and a wide-ranging inquest into everything surrounding a mystifying failure to show up at Euro 2024.
In a flash of genius that will be replayed and talked about for years, Bellingham took off in an audacious show of athleticism and individual skill to send a stunning overhead kick past Slovakia keeper Martin Dubravka.
Think David Platt’s acrobatic hooked finish in the last seconds of extra time against Belgium at this same last-16 stage of Italia 90. Think Paul Gascoigne’s left-foot flick over Colin Hendry and volleyed right-foot finish against Scotland at Wembley in Euro 96. Think the 18-year-old Michael Owen’s dazzling slalom run and finish into the roof of Argentina’s net in the last 16 at the France 98 World Cup.
Bellingham’s goal was at least the equal of those as he somehow found the agility to rise and get on the end of Marc Guehi’s headed flick after 90 gruelling minutes when he had again struggled to make his usual impact.
He turned away, appearing to mouth “who else?” to the joyous England fans. Who else indeed
Bellingham celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday and now he had given his own belated gift to those suffering, disgruntled England supporters.
England’s fans were betraying their feelings with silence in those closing moments, resigned to defeat while bracing themselves to dish out the toxic treatment that has become the soundtrack to their past two performances against Denmark and Slovenia.
Southgate’s name was even booed before kick-off when it was announced. England’s players were roundly jeered at half-time – and they would have known something much worse was coming had Slovakia closed out the win.
Instead, those same supporters can now say they were present to see one of the most dramatic goals and escapes in recent history, Bellingham’s goal England’s first shot on target and their latest strike in normal time at any major tournament.
It may have been 94 minutes 34 seconds of torture and torpor before but it was worth every second of the wait and more besides.
There was mayhem on the touchline among England’s substitutes and backroom team as Bellingham was swamped.
Its impact on Slovakia was instant and profound as their broken players slumped to the turf in the face of this magic, perhaps knowing that the battle was lost, as indeed it was when Harry Kane scored England’s winner early in extra time.
England were on the way out – and then they were on their way into a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday in Dusseldorf.
Source: BBC Sport
