"In 30 seconds and with a single shot, everything can change", Jude Bellingham aptly states after England's dramatic 2:1 win after extra time in the European Championship round of 16 against Slovakia.
30.06.2024, 22:18
02.07.2024, 14:34
SDA
With his overhead kick to make it 1-1 in the 95th minute, Bellingham saved England in extra time on Sunday and thus enabled his team to advance to the quarter-finals against Switzerland at the last moment.
"To score such an important goal, in the national team and in a knockout game, it's a feeling like no other," said the Real Madrid attacking midfielder. "You're 30 seconds away from going home, having to listen to all the stupidity and feeling like you've let an entire nation down. And in 30 seconds and with one shot, everything can change."
Probably the most important goal
His overhead kick was "probably the most important goal" of his career, said Bellingham, who had celebrated his 21st birthday with the team the day before the match and was voted "Man of the Match" against Slovakia. "There are some nice goals, ones that mean a lot to me personally like my first goals for Birmingham, Dortmund and Madrid. They are always special goals, but this one is top of the list."
England fell behind against Slovakia after 25 minutes and struggled for a long time going forward. After Bellingham's redemptive equalizer in the penultimate minute of stoppage time, Harry Kane scored at the start of extra time to make it 2-1.
Satisfied with the team performance
"Apart from their goal, we were pretty good. We had a lot of control, we were in very good areas, we were very dangerous," said Bellingham. A view that not all spectators shared in view of the first 75 minutes with a lot of possession but little compelling and many crosses into the void.
"There were one or two moments where I thought we could have been more precise, but on the whole I thought we put in a good performance," concluded Bellingham.
