Kolkata: Of course, it had to be Jude Bellingham who would “take a sad song and make it better.” A Beatles fan, the precocious England midfielder is used to being serenaded to “Hey Jude” and his attempting that overhead shot with what was almost the last kick of the match showed chutzpah of which there was plenty in his celebration. Who else indeed.
Imagine Bellingham missing the connection and falling in a heap. England, so woeful till that moment, would have gone home, Gareth Southgate would have stepped down or sacked 99 international games into his managerial career and the obituaries after another potential-does-not-meet-performance would have been written. The image of Bellingham flailing, failing could have been the metaphor for a campaign this somnolent. Instead, it may have become the most important shot for the Three Lions since David Beckham’s 93rd minute free-kick helped England qualify for the 2002 World Cup. “That takes a lot of guts,” said Declan Rice.
England’s first shot on target came in the 90+5 minute when Bellingham scored. The second when Harry Kane headed home early in extra-time. They ended the match with one shot on target less than Slovakia. The closest they had come before that was Rice hitting the upright in the 81st minute from 25 yards.
Take away the goals and the fact that, including Ivan Toney who was introduced with a minute to go in second-half stoppage time, England had a lot of impact from the bench and Rice was possibly the most consistent outfield player for the winners in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
Rice had 106 touches, the most he has had in Euro 2024 but that is also because the match went beyond regulation time. Among all players who have played four matches till Sunday, Rice has covered the most ground, 49.2km reaching a top speed of 32kmph. He had 12 progressive passes in the round of 16 and 23 overall, as per FBref.com. Only England full backs have more.
A progressive pass is one that helps move the ball at least 10 yards towards the opponents’ goal from its furthest point. It excludes passes in the defending 40% of the pitch.
Two goals from set-plays set up a quarter-final against Switzerland but England, as Pink Floyd said, are “hanging on in quiet desperation.” Marc Guéhi was one of the bright spots but he was booked early on Sunday after being sold short by Kieran Trippier. Guéhi and John Stones went for the same aerial ball leading to space opening up and Ivan Stranz scoring his third goal in four matches. Trippier as left-back leads to reduced passing opportunities as he is predominantly right-footed. Caught out early, Kyle Walker was hesitant going into advanced areas. England’s delivery into the box was poor, Phil Foden didn’t show the best part of his considerable talent by straying off-side for a goal to be disallowed and till they scored, Bellingham and Harry Kane had done little of note.
In addition, Southgate has not been able to sort out the midfield which was changed again with Kobbie Mainoo starting. Which brings us back to Rice. Amid churn in the middle, he has been the constant. Trent Alexander Arnold, Connor Gallagher and Mainoo have all been tried around the England No 6 who can also play as No 8 as he showed with that shot and had shown all season with Arsenal (7 goals and 10 assists in 2023-24).
Think of the line-breaking pass against Fulham or the goals against Manchester United and Chelsea. Before joining Arsenal, Rice showed he could also fire passes to wide players with Toni Kroos-like accuracy. When out possession, Rice’s pressing is a key component in Arsenal not letting opponents breathe (Mikel Arteta’s words).
Explains why Danny Simpson, the former Manchester United player, wanted a player like Rice at Old Trafford. “It is the way he recovers the ball. Covers the ground, be it in the middle winning second balls or even in full-back areas,” he told “The Athletic” pointing out that now Rice gets forward too.
On Sunday, Rice, 25, was more of defensive midfielder allowing Mainoo to move up. He has been the defensive shield England would have been wobbly without. If Rice’s passing hasn’t been that effective it is because Bukayo Saka and the full backs move differently than they do at Arsenal, Martin Odegaard isn’t in Germany and Leandro Trossard is not a teammate.
