‘His mentality is incredible’: Southgate says England lucky to have Bellingham
The Guardian says Gareth Southgate lavished praise on Jude Bellingham after England sealed qualification for the European Championship finals next summer with two games to spare by beating Italy at home for the first time since 1977.
The former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca’s first international goal had given the reigning European champions a surprise lead inside the first 15 minutes on their first return to Wembley since beating England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final. But Harry Kane’s penalty after Bellingham was brought down in the box soothed any nerves before Marcus Rashford’s brilliant goal – featuring outstanding buildup play between Bellingham and Phil Foden – gave Southgate’s side the lead early in the second half.
Kane’s 61st England goal rounded things off 14 minutes from time as the Bayern Munich forward also became England’s all-time top scorer at Wembley, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s mark of 23. But it was the performance of Real Madrid star Bellingham that stole the show as Southgate emulated Walter Winterbottom in 1949 by becoming the first England manager to win successive matches against Italy.