Harry Kane took the Player of the Match prize but Jude Bellingham dominated the post-game talk for an outstanding midfield display, supported impressively by Jordan Henderson.
Jude Bellingham played pivotal midfield role in England win over Senegal
Became first England teenager since Michael Owen to start knockout tie
Jordan Henderson praised too by England manager Gareth Southgate
England had just won through to a Fifa World Cup™ quarterfinal against world champions France. Harry Kane had relocated his shooting boots. Jordan Pickford had kept his ninth tournament clean sheet. Raheem Sterling was on a plane home.
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Yet the first question that Gareth Southgate had to answer at his press conference at Al Bayt Stadium was about Jude Bellingham.
“I think the biggest thing is the mentality,” he began of the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund player. “Obviously we’ve done a lot of work over the years with young players and young player development and the thing that makes the difference is the mindset, the drive, the desire to learn and improve, and he has all of that.”
So much so, added the England manager, that “I don’t think we could have predicted how quickly he would mature. Even in the last six months, or the last three months in fact, that’s gone up to another level.”
Watch the highlights from the match between England and Senegal played at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor on Sunday, 04 December 2022.
Southgate was not alone in hailing the impact made by Bellingham on the night he became the second English teenager, after Michael Owen in 1998, to start a World Cup knockout tie. Gary Lineker tweeted: “Goodness me, Jude Bellingham is unbelievably good. He’s the leader in this team.”
Down in the post-match mixed zone, Luke Shaw told a TV reporter: “For me, the world is his oyster and he can be anything he wants." Phil Foden was even more emphatic. “I don't want to big him up too much because he’s still young...” he started, before doing precisely that: “He's one of the most gifted players I’ve ever seen. He has no weakness in his game. I think he will be the best midfielder in the world."
Jordan Henderson had his say too, telling BeIN’s reporter: “I feel I'm running out of things to say about him. Incredible mentality, incredible player. You're talking about a player whose mentality is unique. He's a one-off and we just need to let him enjoy his football."
Here was a 19-year-old who had just grabbed a World Cup knockout match by the scruff of the neck. Owen back in 1998 did it with speed and ice-cool finishing. Bellingham, for his part, pressed and pushed from the off, driving up the inside-left channel, imposing his will on the contest. And his forward thrust proved crucial for both first-half goals.
For the first, he sped up that same channel on to Harry Kane’s pass and cut the ball back with perfect accuracy for Jordan Henderson to become England’s oldest World Cup scorer since Tom Finney.
For the second, he won a ball 10 yards outside his half, nodding it away from a green shirt and charging past another before feeding Phil Foden, who in turn set Kane clear. In modern parlance, an assist and a pre-assist.
When England last played France on the world stage, at Spain 82, Bryan Robson – a midfielder who excelled at getting forward into the box – stole the show with two goals. In this mood, Bellingham might have a significant say when the nations meet at the World Cup for the first time since then.
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse spoke afterwards about England’s threat from transitions and cited the entire midfield trio of Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Bellingham for their athleticism, recoveries and distribution.
Southgate was more specific, praising the way Bellingham worked with the more experienced Henderson in particular during a first period in which Senegal had the better of the opening half-hour.
”Those two out of possession really got us into the game,” Southgate explained. “We were a bit stuck with the ball and our best moments were turning the ball over. Hendo’s influence is allowing Jude more freedom positionally and he responded to that remarkably well.”
The manager believes that Henderson’s introduction off the bench against USA helped England solve some tactical puzzles and a player restricted to substitute appearances at Uefa EURO 2020 has started the last two games since.
Southgate: France is the biggest test we could face
England manager Gareth Southgate heaped praise on Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson in particular, as The Three Lions eased to a 3-0 win over Senegal in the Fifa World Cup™ to set up a last eight tie with World Champions France.
As well as Henderson’s experience, Southgate said that the 32-year-old’s “pressing in the first half had a big impact”.
According to the Fifa Football Data Platform, Henderson ranked second among the England players for pressing actions with 31. Bellingham was a significant distance clear with 45 from his 76 minutes on the field. On top of his attacking thrust, he also made more blocks – five – than any other player.
The way that Henderson and Bellingham celebrated the older man’s goal highlighted the obvious mutual respect between the pair. If Bellingham is simultaneously the present and future of England’s midfield (and surely an early candidate for Qatar 2022's Best Young Player award), Henderson still has a telling role to play alongside him on this evidence.