Despite a shaky start, England have booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals in a comfortable fashion after a 3-0 victory over Senegal this evening.
The African champions were the better side for much of the first half, squandering a couple of excellent opportunities to take the lead in the game. Both were saved by Jordan Pickford.
The game would be flipped on its head in the 38th minute. Having hardly troubled the opposition defence all game, England launched a counterattack that was finished off well by Jordan Henderson.
🏴 1-0 🇸🇳
38' England take the lead against the run of play as Henderson finishes after a slick passing move.
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📱 Live updates: https://t.co/o07NGcGtQd#FifaWorldCup #ENGSEN #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/VTENDcZPMO— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) December 4, 2022
From this point on, Senegal never really looked like getting back into the game.
Harry Kane got their second just before interval, and when Bukayo Saka added a third at the start of the second half, the result was secured.
Roy Keane gives incredible praise to Jude Bellingham
In many ways, the game was ultimately decided by Jude Bellingham.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder played a decisive role in the first two goals, assisting Henderson's strike and starting off the move that was finished by Kane.
🏴 2-0 🇸🇳
Half-time: Bellingham leads the England break and Harry Kane puts England in control with his first goal of the tournament
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📱 Live updates: https://t.co/o07NGcGtQd#FifaWorldCup #ENGSEN #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/LdbzTEldRA— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) December 4, 2022
It was a brilliant performance from the 19-year old, who certainly impressed one man in particular.
Speaking on ITV, Roy Keane lavished a huge amount of praise on the young midfielder.
He’s going to be a superstar that kid, the word we keep saying, maturity, it’s like he’s played 100 times for England. Fantastic performance...
I've not seen a young midfielder perform like that for years. You usually see that from a world class midfielder who is 26 or 27, everything he did in the game.
You talk about his brain. You look at him and he's a man, but he has got that maturity in decision making. What's going on upstairs is huge for a midfielder, your maturity, decision making, that final pass.
The kid has everything.
Jude Bellingham is perhaps the hottest property in world football at the moment, with Europe's biggest clubs set to battle it out for his signature in the months ahead.
It is expected that Dortmund will seek a fee of up to £150million for his services. Based on performances such as tonight, you couldn't argue that he isn't worth it.
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