Although England might have been seeking an immediate response at Wembley on Tuesday night, the Three Lions were forced to settle for an action-packed 2-2 stalemate against Belgium.
Having suffered a 1-0 loss at home against Brazil over the weekend, Gareth Southgate’s men were hit with more frustration as Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans opened the scoring in the first 11 minutes.
While Brentford’s Ivan Toney might have calmly converted from the penalty spot and notched a first international goal six minutes after Belgum’s opener, the Red Devils retook the lead as Tielemans popped up at the back sick to grab his second of the night.
However, although England might have been seconds away from suffering a second consecutive defeat on home soil, it was the red-hot Jude Bellingham who saved Southgate’s blushes in north London.
Slotting home with essentially the last kick of the game and dragging the Three Lions over the finish line here, Southgate’s men still have work to do ahead of this summer’s European Championships in Germany.
In what was an action-packed affair from Wembley on Tuesday night, we have taken a look at all of the main talking points.
England seeking some defensive resolve
With Harry Maguire withdrawing from England’s squad after picking up a knock last week, England’s defensive headache was not helped by the site of Manchester City ace John Stones limping off early in the first-half.
Although the Three Lions might boast some of European football’s most iconic attacking stars, it appears that Southgate’s men are desperately seeking some recent defensive steel.
Shipping a pair of first-half goals here and with Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku causing a host of issues in the final third, Tuesday’s hosts have recorded just a single clean sheet from any of their previous seven appearances across all competitions.
With Manchester United’s Luke Shaw still facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines and continued…
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Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-03-27 12:30:02
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