England star Jude Bellingham has said he's pleased to have avoided the "rubbish" he expects would have followed if the Three Lions had lost back-to-back games.
After losing to Brazil on Saturday, Gareth Southgate's team twice trailed against Belgium following mistakes from Jordan Pickford and Lewis Dunk. With time running out, though, Bellingham found the bottom corner of Matz Sels' net to rescue a draw.
The matches were the last until June for Southgate's side. Friendlies against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland are scheduled for the start of the month, before matches against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in the Euro 2024 group stage.
England reached the final of the last European Championships, losing to Italy on penalties. All eyes will be on Bellingham and his team-mates going into the tournament, and his comments after the Belgium game indicate the importance of that late goal.
"I liked it because I know the rubbish we would’ve got if we lost two games on the bounce," Bellingham told Channel 4 after the game. "With these games, you’ve got to keep perspective.
Jurgen Klopp wants double Liverpool transfer deal after fiery 'monopoly' dig
"A lot of lads are making debuts, a lot of these lads I’ve never played with before and I thought we created a lot of chances. I’m happy I could make it up to the team - but really we should be winning with all the chances we made.
"Two games that will stand us in great stead heading into the Euros. I know everyone will be negative about it but you have to take these games for what they are. Take the positives, learn from the negatives and I’m sure we’ll be fine."
Youri Tielemans gave Belgium an early lead, capitalising on a loose pass from England goalkeeper Pickford, before Ivan Toney won and then converted a penalty on his first international start. Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans headed home his side's second of the game before half-time, and it was not until stoppage-time at the end of the second period that Bellingham equalised.
How far will England go at Euro 2024? Have your say in the comments section
John Stones added to England's injury concerns (Getty Images)England were without some senior players for the match. Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson all suffered injury setbacks in the lead-up to the international double-header, while Kyle Walker was forced off early against Brazil and John Stones only managed 10 minutes against Belgium.
“Of course we are disappointed if he has a problem, which seems to be in the abductor area, but I hate sending players back to their clubs if they are not fit," manager Southgate said amid worries he had overloaded centre-back Stones. “We measure everything and the first game (against Brazil) was not a high level in terms of intensity.
"We have done exactly what Holland did with Virgil van Dijk and what Norway did with Erling Harland and Martin Odegaard by starting them again. So it only ever seems to fall on us when there’s a question around that."
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
