Jude Bellingham scored with virtually the last kick of the game to rescue a draw for England against Belgium.
Boss Gareth Southgate made a raft of changes from the defeat to Brazil on Saturday. But his side were all at sea in the first 10 minutes and fell behind when Jordan Pickford's ill-thought out pass was picked off and Youri Tielemans slotted into the bottom corner.
Ivan Toney got the hosts back on level terms with a penalty 17 minutes in, before Jarrod Bowen saw a goal ruled out for offside. But Belgium retook the lead after an error from Lewis Dunk allowed Romelu Lukaku to race through before brilliantly setting up Tielemans for his second.
England were on top after the break and they finally got a deserved equaliser when Bellingham fired home in the last seconds of injury time. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from a thrilling draw.
Toney stakes his claim
After Ollie Watkins disappointed with his chance to stake a claim for the Euros in the defeat to Brazil, Ivan Toney seized his own opportunity to impress. The Brentford man was a livewire up-front and nearly scored less than a minute in.
Singh Gill to make history as Premier League's first Sikh-Punjabi official
He did get onto the scoresheet 17 minutes into the game though, winning a penalty in the process. He got his body between Jan Vertonghen and the ball, with the former Spurs man bringing him down to give away the spot-kick.
The confidence the England squad have in Toney was then on full display when his team-mates handed him the ball for the penalty. He duly dispatched it to equalise and continued to provide impressive hold-up play to set himself out as Harry Kane's deputy.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match in England's clash with Belgium? Comment below.
More injury headaches
John Stones was forced off injured inside the first 10 minutes to deal another injury blow to England (PA)England boss Gareth Southgate is already dealing with a mountain of injury issues. And they showed no signs of going away on Monday night, with star defender John Stones limping off a matter of minutes in.
Stones was left in discomfort and had to be taken off by Southgate, to be replaced by Joe Gomez. That led to Ezri Konsa being moved to centre-back from the right, with Gomez slotting in there.
It is a situation Southgate will be desperate to avoid happening again as England's preparation for the Euros ramps up. All four of his first-choice back four are sidelined and the drop off in quality behind them is now a growing concern.
Defensive lapses strike again
Lewis Dunk may have played himself out of the England squad with this error in the lead up to Belgium's second goal (Clive Rose/Getty Images)That growing concern over injuries, particularly at the back, stems from England's increasing defensive lapses. First, Jordan Pickford pass was picked off, with Youri Tielemans slotting in as the keeper raced back across his goal.
Pickford does not often make such critical errors in an England shirt and firmed his game up after that. But he was not the only one to make a major error, with Lewis Dunk once again struggling after his nightmare against Brazil.
Dunk failed to deal with a long ball forward, allowing Romelu Lukaku to break free and set up Tielemans for his second. The Brighton star may have played his way out of the England team, with the errors he made being unforgiveable at international level.
Mainoo drops a hint
Kobbie Mainoo starred on his full England debut (Julian Finney/Getty Images)Kobbie Mainoo was originally left out of the England squad for these internationals, but he was handed his full debut for the clash with Belgium. It was a chance he took with both hands, in the process handing Southgate a look at what would be a mouth-watering midfield line-up.
Marcus Rashford handed new challenge by Erik ten Hag to ensure Man Utd success
Alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, Mainoo staked a claim to be the third member of the Three Lions' midfield. He was crucial in the build-up to Toney's penalty, beating two Belgian defenders before laying the ball off to Bellingham to slip into the striker.
Mainoo has starred for Manchester United this season and though he is only 18, he looks wise beyond his years. Southgate has question marks over who his third midfielder should be in Germany, but Mainoo has proved he can produce a successful partnership with Rice and Bellingham.
Southgate answers big question
One of the main criticisms aimed at England boss Gareth Southgate has been that he struggles to make good enough use of his subs to change a game. While this was only a friendly, it was a problem that Southgate appeared to have the answer for.
Though the Three Lions had the majority of possession, they failed to make it really count and failed to carve out many clear-cut chances. Southgate waited until the last stages to respond, but his changes worked as England found an equaliser.
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
