With just 86 seconds remaining, England might have avoided the humiliation of losing to Slovakia, which would undoubtedly go down in sporting annals with their defeat to Iceland in the 2016 Euro.
If they had failed to do so, it would undoubtedly have meant the termination of Gareth Southgate’s tenure as England manager—which might still happen shortly, regardless of how they fare in Germany—and an extensive investigation into all aspects of the mysterious England team’s nonattendance at Euro 2024.
Then Bellingham appeared.
Bellingham launched himself in a daring display of athleticism and individual talent to unleash a breathtaking overhead kick past Slovakian keeper Martin Dubravka in a moment of brilliance that will be remembered and discussed for years to come.
Consider David Platt’s incredible hooked ending.
Bellingham gave his own tardy gift to the suffering and irate England supporters after celebrating his 21st birthday on Saturday.
In those final seconds, England’s supporters betrayed their emotions by remaining silent, accepting their defeat and preparing to inflict the toxic punishment that has been the theme song for their previous two matches against Slovenia and Denmark.
Even when Southgate’s name was announced prior to kickoff, there was jeers. The players from England were taunted mercilessly during the half, and if Slovakia had won, they would have known that much worse was ahead.
Rather, those same supporters can now claim to have witnessed one of the most spectacular goals and escapes in recent memory thanks to Bellingham’s goal, which was England’s first on target.