Gareth Southgate lavished praise on Jude Bellingham after England sealed qualification for the European Championship finals next summer with two games to spare by beating Italy at home for the first time since 1977.
The former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca’s first international goal had given the reigning European champions a surprise lead inside the first 15 minutes on their first return to Wembley since beating England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final. But Harry Kane’s penalty after Bellingham was brought down in the box soothed any nerves before Marcus Rashford’s brilliant goal – featuring outstanding buildup play between Bellingham and Phil Foden – gave Southgate’s side the lead early in the second half.
Kane’s 61st England goal rounded things off 14 minutes from time as the Bayern Munich forward also became England’s all-time top scorer at Wembley, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s mark of 23. But it was the performance of Real Madrid star Bellingham that stole the show as Southgate emulated Walter Winterbottom in 1949 by becoming the first England manager to win successive matches against Italy.
“His mentality is incredible,” Southgate said of Bellingham, who left the pitch to a standing ovation and bear hug from his manager. “For someone of his age to show such maturity and intelligence is unbelievable. We are lucky to have him. He’s been the catalyst – the way he carries himself and plays on the field shows that and he’s had that since he walked through the door.”
Southgate, who has now qualified for four successive tournaments since taking over in November 2016, insisted England’s players are comfortable with being among the favourites for the tournament next year. “They should enjoy playing in this team because they go the extra yard for each other. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marcus Rashford cover so much ground defensively. That’s when you know you have a good spirit and a good team. We have lots of things going for us but we have to keep pushing.”
Kalvin Phillips admitted he was lucky not to be shown a second yellow card after a late challenge on Nicolò Barella before the Manchester City midfielder was replaced by Jordan Henderson with 20 minutes left. The 27-year-old has played only 70 minutes in the Premier League so far this season and acknowledged he may have a big decision to make if he is to feature in Germany next summer.
“As a football player you always want to be playing,” Phillips told Channel 4. “I want to be playing as much as possible but I haven’t done that for a year and a half. I always try and make sure I am ready for whatever comes. I want minutes, I want to go the Euros. We will see what happens.”
