England 2-2 Belgium (Toney pen 17, Bellingham 90+5′; Tielemans 11′, 36)
WEMBLEY STADIUM – Jude Bellingham rescued England from two defeats in four days at Wembley but they still remained winless in an international break for the first time in seven years, drawing 2-2 with Belgium.
Errors from Jordan Pickford and then Lewis Dunk gifted the visitors the chances, and Youri Tielemans was the beneficiary both times, first finishing clinically from 20 yards and then getting on the end of a brilliant Romelu Lukaku assist
Ivan Toney did briefly bring Gareth Southgate’s side back level, converting a penalty he earned for his first international goal, and Jarrod Bowen even thought he had given England the lead with a close-range header, but VAR ruled he was offside.
Those two remained England’s chief attacking threats until both were withdrawn with 10 minutes to go, but it was Jude Bellingham finally converted one of his hatful of chances in the fifth minute of stoppage time to snatch a draw.
It was a night of experimentation – albeit not as experimental as the FA team sheet that suggested Kobbie Mainoo would make his full debut on the left wing with Bellingham in a defensive midfielder role.
Nevertheless, England started the night with five players on single-figure cap on the pitch and lost their most senior player when John Stones’s 71st England appearance ended after only 10 minutes, forced off with an apparent right ankle problem. Man City will hope news is better than that received by Newcastle’s Lewis Miley on Under-20s duty, now out for six weeks.
A minute after Stones’s departure, Jordan Pickford found only his Everton team-mate Amadou Onana with a wayward pass and Tielemans was the grateful beneficiary, slotting behind a recovering Pickford from outside the box.
But his error was cancelled out just six minutes later when neat interplay between Kobbie Mainoo and Jude Bellingham sent Toney through, only for Jan Vertonghen to bring him down.
Toney, who waited 366 days between his England debut and his second cap, was more than happy to wait another two minutes as VAR confirmed the penalty, and showed no nerves in slotting home his first international goal, and 30th career spot kick from 32 attempts.
And England thought they had another first when Bowen nodded in from Dunk’s header back across, only for VAR to point out the Hammer had been offside.
It was soon 2-1, albeit against England, caught on the counter and another defensive frailty illustrated as Dunk was bullied off the ball by Romelu Lukaku, who found Tielemans with a fine trivela cross. Ezri Konsa, shuffled to centre-back in Stones’s place, had failed to notice his 60-yard run to the back post.
Bellingham, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid, had been uncharacteristically profligate, blazing over from 10 yards in the first half and then timing a free header all wrong from even closer.
And as England friendlies often seem to, the air went out of the game in the second half and looked certain to peter out, only for the former Birmingham City boy – who else in 2024 – to score with virtually the last kick of the game.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/BHRlIjm
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