Gareth Southgate admitted he considered taking Jude Bellingham off before the midfielder saved England from crashing out of Euro 2024 by scoring a stoppage-time bicycle kick that Harry Kane called one of the best goals in the country’s history.
Southgate, who also thought about substituting Kane before the captain’s extra-time winner in a nervy last‑16 tie with a heartbroken Slovakia, was seconds from an embarrassing defeat before Bellingham altered the narrative with an astonishing equaliser.
England were poor for long spells and had deservedly fallen behind to a sharp goal from Ivan Schranz in the 25th minute. The end of Southgate’s reign was on the cards – until Kyle Walker chucked in a long throw, Marc Guéhi headed on and Bellingham produced a moment of genius that set England on the path to a quarter‑final with Switzerland in Düsseldorf on Saturday.
“The two players who get the goals, you could arguably take off 15 minutes from the end because they looked out on their feet, but that is what they are capable of,” Southgate said. “Harry and Jude, you are looking and thinking: ‘Should we be refreshing those positions?’ But you know they are capable of doing what they did.
“When people want changes, you have to keep some balance to the team and do things you think will definitely improve. I think pretty much all the changes we have made this tournament have had an impact.”
Bellingham shouted: “Who else?” after his goal. Asked who writes his scripts, he replied: “I do.” He went on to say that his goal meant the team would not have to face criticism for going out. “You’re 30 seconds from going home and having to listen to all the rubbish and feeling like you’ve let people down,” the 21-year-old said.
Pushed on what he meant by “rubbish” Bellingham said: “You know what I mean by the rubbish.
“Playing for England should be the most proud moment of your career but often it’s quite difficult. There’s a really high intense pressure. The fans expect a lot from us regardless of what happened in recent tournaments years and years ago.
“People talk a lot. You do have to take it personally a little bit. We work so hard at this game. We come in every day, we work hard to put on a performance for the fans, sometimes it doesn’t go well and sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a pile on, it’s not nice to hear.
“But you can always use it and for moments like that, it’s nice to throw it back to some people.”
Southgate, who will be without the suspended Guéhi against Switzerland, smiled when told about Bellingham’s comments. “I understand his world better than most people,” he said. “His world is different to pretty much any other 21‑year‑old in the world. He is still a young man and is going to react to things as young people can, but he provides moments where he can change games.”
Bellingham could potentially face punishment if Uefa deems that he made an obscene gesture at the Slovakia bench after equalising. The midfielder denied any wrongdoing. “An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game,” he wrote on X. “Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”
Kane also raved about Bellingham’s impact. “That’s the desire from the boys and staff and everyone involved,” the striker told ITV. “We kept going. We put a long throw in a couple of days ago and we said we might need it. Then Jude does what Jude does – it was an unbelievable goal. It’s one of the best in our country’s history.”
Southgate said he had not thought about behaving with dignity in defeat as the game ticked into added time. He admitted that England would need to improve against Switzerland, but raved about his team’s spirit.
The 53-year-old, who was targeted with brief chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” at one point, gambled with his substitutions and was rewarded for bringing on Ivan Toney in the fourth minute of added time. Toney went on to make Kane’s goal, prompting Southgate to talk about England winning the 1966 World Cup.
“I knew Ivan Toney had the hump with me for putting him on but I said to him: ‘This could be the moment.’ We showed the players a presentation about 1966 and how Geoff Hurst hadn’t played until the quarter-final, the difficult route the team had. The players who came into the team have been ready and trained well.
“I could just tell from his [Toney’s] face, and I could understand it; I am putting him on with a minute to go, any player could think: ‘I have been sat for the tournament and you have not used me.’ But I said there could be one moment and I think his presence will have unsettled them a bit and he had a very clever bit of play for the second goal. I think he has just about forgiven me now. In terms of ’66, we just wanted to highlight that tournaments take you in strange places and difficult routes.”
