EnglandBelgium
Friendly (Men) – matchday 1 – 26/03/24 – 20:45
timeiconplayerhomeTimehomeIconhomePlayerscoreawayPlayerawayIconawayTime
11′
Youri Tielemans
0 – 1
Youri Tielemans
11′
17′
Ivan Toney
17′
Ivan Toney
1 – 1
36′
Youri Tielemans
1 – 2
Youri Tielemans
36′
90+5′
Jude Bellingham
90+5′
Jude Bellingham
2 – 2
What a waste of that very last second. In a sold-out Wembley, the Red Devils seemed to beat superpower England. Youri Tielemans scored both goals, Romelu Lukaku provided a phenomenal assist for the second. National coach Domenico Tedesco then saw Belgium fight and almost survive… until Bellingham capitalized on the ultimate opportunity in minute 95.
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What was all that at Wembley?
If the match against England presented itself as an interesting exam for the Red Devils towards the European Championship, it scored a distinction in terms of spectacle value – especially for a practice match.
Tedesco seemed to make the safe choice with Youri Tielemans as number 10, but nothing turned out to be further from the truth. The midfielder finally played another reference match in the Belgian shirt and crowned it with two goals.
His first came after just 11 minutes. Tielemans was coldly punished by England’s final goalkeeper Pickford’s dramatic out-of-bounds football.
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And number two? That will mainly remain in the collective memory because of Romelu Lukaku’s assist. Normally the man who scores the goals, but in minute 36 the striker suddenly kicked a fabulous cross à la De Bruyne with the outside left.
The Englishmen, who whistled en masse before kick-off when Lukaku’s name echoed through Wembley, were promptly appeased.
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Miss Bellingham tipping point
Big Rom’s trick was the flattered 1-2 with which the Devils went to rest.
Because England – a solid team, despite the many injuries – would put a lot of pressure on the Belgian defense a few times in the first half.
Four minutes after Tielemans’ opening goal, the home team had already found an equalizer after a penalty goal by Toney, which was knocked down by Vertonghen. The record international thought he touched the ball, the referee and VAR did not.
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Even in the first half, Debast was fortunate that he processed a Bellingham cross over and not into the goal. The VAR also saved the day by disallowing a header goal by Bowen.
And what to say about Bellingham’s chance after Onana’s dangerous loss of ball, about 3 minutes before Lukaku pulled off his stroke? He hasn’t missed many for Real this season.
It was the turning point of the party.
Fighting, but just not surviving
Even after the break, the match between England and Belgium would be interesting, but a little less inspiring. Mainly due to a lack of goals.
However, the home team had plenty of opportunities to do so. While the first half was still relatively balanced, the Devils now had to be more defensive.
Toney aimed into the side netting, Foden saw how Debast threw himself just in front of his shot with full dedication, Bellingham missed another great chance and then there was also an excellent Matz Sels.
The goalkeeper presented himself even more emphatically as a potential winner for the European Championship in London with a handful of excellent saves. Foden and Mainoo, among others, saw attempts turned away by Sels.
Tedesco loved seeing it all happen in front of that iconic Wembley dugout. His Devils showed that they can fight and survive against a top team with 80,000 fans behind them.
By flashing sometimes and always fighting, the Belgians thought they could achieve a historic first victory in England.
Until Bellingham showed itself efficiently in the very last second of the game by kicking the 2-2 past Sels.
From a big boost to a small downer – although the national coach will certainly not forget all the positive things.
Related:
Phase by phase
End
The Red Devils end the match with a sour aftertaste. A first victory against England on English soil seemed as good as in the bag, but deep into extra time Bellingham still brought England alongside. All in all, a deserved draw, because in the second half an excellent Sels was needed for the many chances of the home team.
Bellingham with the late equalizer!
England still does it! Bellingham is given far too much space in the box and passes the ball past Sels on a pass from Maddison. What a downer for the Belgians.
Bellingham continues to cause nervousness in the Belgian sixteen. He takes a swing from an acute angle, but his attempt ends up in a corner via Faes. That doesn’t yield anything.
Lukebakio leaves it
The Red Devils missed the opportunity to finally decide the match on a quick counter. Doku presents Lukebakio with the 1-3, but he aims the ball over in one go. He should have done better here, opportunity gone.
4 – extra time
An extra 4 minutes will be added.
4 minutes extra
England still have four extra minutes to pull out a draw. So let’s stay focused for the Devils.
After Doku loses the ball, England quickly switches gears. Foden is able to enter the box, but collides with Vertonghen there. The Belgians clearly have no intention of handing this over.
On the way to a scoop?
It may only be a practice match, but the Red Devils are on their way to a first. They have never been able to beat England on English soil. Or is the devil still in the tail?
Time is slowly running out for England if they want to avoid a home defeat. In this case, the home team continues to take the most initiative.
Three substitutions
Another major personnel change for the Belgians for the final phase. Batshuayi, Openda and Faes are dropped into the team. Mangala, Lukaku and Debast are taken to the side.
2024-03-26 21:38:07
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