An Arsenal star has revealed he could not pull off a goal similar to Jude Bellingham’s heroics tonight for England against Slovakia.
The 21-year-old Real Madrid superstar enjoyed his biggest moment yet for England as Bellingham scored a sensational 96th-minute bicycle kick to send the Three Lions into extra-time in their Round of 16 clash against Slovakia, with Harry Kane scoring the winner shortly after.
With England booking their ticket into the Euro 2024 quarterfinals, Gareth Southgate’s side are still in with a chance of winning their first piece of international silverware since 1966, with Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka playing pivotal roles for the Three Lions.
And one of the aforementioned Arsenal players has given their view on Bellingham’s goal for England.
Declan Rice in awe of Bellingham after England heroics vs Slovakia
Speaking to BBC Sport, the 25-year-old midfielder shared his pure amazement over Bellingham’s goal for England, with Rice admitting that had he attempted such an audacious shot that the ball would have flown over the bar.
Indeed, the Arsenal man was exceptional on the night for England against Slovakia, and Rice can be proud of his teammates for digging deep to find a way against a stubborn opposing side at such a crucial stage of the tournament.
READ MORE: Everything to know on Arsenal’s Declan Rice from his girlfriend to height
Rice said on Bellingham’s equalising goal for England: “It is crazy because if that was me that was going over the bar! It was a big moment for 21-years-old, that takes a lot of guts. People don’t understand what you have to go through to get over the line.
“We are not playing against invisible men. They are top footballers, they kept going after us. It is about waiting for those moments as the game got stretched we created more. The fans tonight I cannot speak highly enough of them. So grateful they are all here to experience that.”
Rice and Bellingham can lead England to historic glory
Rice was back to his best tonight for England with a monstrous performance that kept the midfield relatively safe and sound from Slovakia, with Bellingham providing his clutch moment to change the course of the game.
And heading into the quarter-finals, the duo will want to lead England to historic glory this summer, with Euros success now firmly back on the table after tonight’s dramatic and stressful win against Slovakia.
Indeed, England know that they will need to dig deep if they’re to go all the way to the final in Berlin, yet this evening’s win against Slovakia showed that the likes of Rice and Bellingham are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Arteta has Arsenal stars in Marbella whilst Bukayo Saka struggles at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed England’s recent poor performances at the European Championships. With Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka receiving mixed reviews for England so far, Gareth Southgate’s tactical decisions were questioned.
There was some talk about the members of the Arsenal squad currently on a surprise training camp with Mikel Arteta in Marbella, as well as a brief look at how Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli are getting on at the Copa America with Brazil.