JUDE BELLINGHAM’s majestic header in stoppage time saved England from a humiliating elimination from the Euros.
Gareth Southgate’s side were absolutely desolate and looked to be heading home thanks to Ivan Schranz’s smart finish.
But Bellingham came to the rescue in the 96th minute, firing brilliantly into the corner after Marc Guehi had connected with Kyle Walker’s long ball.
Surprisingly, it was England’s first shot on goal, summing up how poor they were.
But another came soon after, 53 seconds into extra time, Harry Kane heading in from close range to seal the quarter-final with Switzerland.
It was as difficult as possible, and if they play like that against the Swiss, they will be toast.
See how Tom Barclay rated England’s stars… and manager Southgate.
Jordan Pickford: 5
He appeared to hurt his left hand when he took a big hit in the warm-up, but he still played. He fired a lot of long balls and was lucky not to get caught by David Strelec’s 45-yard shot.
Kyle Walker: 4
England’s second most experienced player was in for a surprise. He looked uncharacteristically slow, his touch was heavy and his crossing was far from good enough. But it was his long throw that led to Bellingham’s magic.
John’s Stones: 4
He said it was time for the senior professionals to step up to prepare for the game, but there was little sign of that until Bellingham did his job, and he is just 21. It was his mistake that almost led Strelec to try his luck from a distance.
Marc Guehi: 5
A yellow card straight after Kieran Trippier’s underhit pass meant he had to eliminate the excellent David Strelec, meaning he is out of the quarter-finals. Ivan Schranz fooled him in Slovakia’s first game, but his shot for Bellingham equalized.
Kieran Trippier: 4
When a good pass from Jude Bellingham found Trippier on the edge of the box with his favorite right foot, you thought: ‘Here we go.’ He hit the Z line.
Declan rice: 5
An old-fashioned cutback on Juraj Kucka was a fair tackle, even if it left the 37-year-old limping. His curling effort ten minutes from time hit the post.
Kobbie Mainoo: 6
FIRST start in a major tournament and our only decent performance in a horrible first half in England. He hit a volley but also received a yellow card for a late tackle.
Bukayo Saka: 5
We all know Saka has been a fantastic player for Arsenal and England in previous games, but he has rarely threatened here. However, he went far and in several positions.
Jude Bellingham: 7 and STARMAN
The time comes, the man comes. He was disappointed again until the 96th minute, but who cares when you’re progressing like that.
Phil Foden: 4
I thought he had equalized early in the second half, but his finish was ruled out by VAR after he was inexplicably caught offside. Just turned it off all night, at risk of falling over.
Harry Kane: 6
Still far from his best – he was nowhere to be seen in the first half and missed a free header after the break – but he got it right in extra time.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Cole Palmer (in place of Kieran Trippier, 66): 7
Fans were on their feet applauding when Southgate finally made a change and brought him on. So excited and with a beautiful delivery, he should have a chance to start against the Swiss.
Eberechi Eze (in place of Kobbie Mainoo, 84): 6
He did enough to deny Slovak full-back Peter Pekarik from scoring from close range in extra time. It looked like he had been hit by a train when Denis Vavro hit him.
Ivan Toney (in place of Phil Foden, 90): 7
He assisted Kane’s winning goal when he scored after a free-kick – which he had won with his strength – had been disallowed.
Conor Gallagher (replacing Harry Kane, 105): 6
Southgate rolled the dice in extra time as he tried to close out the game, swapping his captain for Chelsea’s midfielder.
Ezri Konsa (in place of Jude Bellingham, 105): 6
The same goes for Gallagher, as Konsa got his first minutes of the tournament in place of hero Bellingham, which seemed like a risky strategy.
MANAGER
Gareth Southgate: 3.
A lucky, lucky man. Tactically, his team was all long ball, had no movement and didn’t conjure a shot on target until Bellingham’s wonderful shot – and that came from Walker playing in the mixer. The substitutes took too long in the 90s and then felt risky trying to see the game end in extra time.
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