Published 29 November 2022 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team
Jude Bellingham happy with England's mix in win over Wales
Three Lions midfielder lauds team display in final group stage victory over Wales
Jude Bellingham believes England showed a little more of their best side on Tuesday, as they beat Wales by 3-0 to top World Cup Group B.
The Three Lions scored three second-half goals thanks to Marcus Rashford’s brace and a Phil Foden strike to set up a knockout stage clash with Senegal on Sunday.
And after winning their opener against Iran by 6-2 before being held to a draw by USA last week, Bellingham felt the team showed more balance as they concluded the group stage in style.
“What you saw in the first game was a really good attacking display, the second game we defended our box really well, and today you got a mix of both,” said the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
“We’re really happy, that was the aim coming into this game, to tie them both up, and we did. It was a good performance from us.
“We had our high energy today, we realised in the game the other day we probably weren't aggressive enough and we were a little too passive so it was important to be more on the front foot.
“Hendo [Jordan Henderson] brings that intensity every time he plays, when he gives you that confidence, I can push on and Dec [Rice] can be aggressive. We won a lot of balls high up the pitch was key to us retaining the pressure and keeping them under.”
The Three Lions scored three second-half goals thanks to Marcus Rashford’s brace and a Phil Foden strike to set up a knockout stage clash with Senegal on Sunday.
And after winning their opener against Iran by 6-2 before being held to a draw by USA last week, Bellingham felt the team showed more balance as they concluded the group stage in style.
“What you saw in the first game was a really good attacking display, the second game we defended our box really well, and today you got a mix of both,” said the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
“We’re really happy, that was the aim coming into this game, to tie them both up, and we did. It was a good performance from us.
“We had our high energy today, we realised in the game the other day we probably weren't aggressive enough and we were a little too passive so it was important to be more on the front foot.
“Hendo [Jordan Henderson] brings that intensity every time he plays, when he gives you that confidence, I can push on and Dec [Rice] can be aggressive. We won a lot of balls high up the pitch was key to us retaining the pressure and keeping them under.”
The 19 year old reserved special praise for Rashford, who opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick early in the second half before adding his second of the game and third of the World Cup by finishing well to make it 3-0.
“I’m so happy for him, what a performance,” added Bellingham.
“He was brilliant. When he gets the ball and he's got that freedom to take people on, his end product is so good as well.
“The free kick, in a game like this where there's big pressure on a free kick like that, and the way he's delivered it is brilliant.
“We've got loads of depth in those attacking areas, whoever comes on always seems to make an impact. Whether it's from the start or from the bench, the change of personnel doesn't really affect the style or the performance of the team which is quite rare.”
The squad will now return to their base camp and turn their attention to Sunday’s match against Senegal, which will kick-off at 7pm GMT.
“I’m so happy for him, what a performance,” added Bellingham.
“He was brilliant. When he gets the ball and he's got that freedom to take people on, his end product is so good as well.
“The free kick, in a game like this where there's big pressure on a free kick like that, and the way he's delivered it is brilliant.
“We've got loads of depth in those attacking areas, whoever comes on always seems to make an impact. Whether it's from the start or from the bench, the change of personnel doesn't really affect the style or the performance of the team which is quite rare.”
The squad will now return to their base camp and turn their attention to Sunday’s match against Senegal, which will kick-off at 7pm GMT.
FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022