2026-06-29 10:45:55
Jude Bellingham enjoys the “responsibility” of helping England win tight games.
The midfielder produced a man-of-the-match display as the Three Lions beat Panama 2-0 at the World Cup on Saturday (27.06.26) to finish top of Group L and felt the need to raise the intensity after a frustrating first period against the Central Americans.
Bellingham said: “I felt in the second half we were all a bit sharper and clinical in what we were doing.
“That has an effect on me and for me there is a responsibility to get the team going to another level, another level of intensity more than anything.
“But I think all the lads were ready to go after half-time, we realised we had a couple more gears to go after a so-so start in the first half and in the second half we showed that.”
England will now take DR Congo in the last 32 on Wednesday (01.07.26) and Bellingham underlined the importance of the team staying in control of their route through the tournament.
The Real Madrid midfielder said: “We had the goal in mind before the start of the tournament that we wanted to take it in sections.
“We have achieved our first objective of wanting to win the group. (Saturday) was important because we want to be in control of our destiny, in terms of our route, where we play.
“I know some people have already made plans and they won’t have to cancel them now.
“I have learnt that, playing in tournaments, it is important you try and craft your way through the tournament as best as possible and we have done that.”
England boss Thomas Tuchel praised Bellingham’s buy-in to the team ethic after the star netted his second goal of the World Cup.
The coach explained: “We have to work in patterns and we have to work in units for the amount of attacking threat.
“If we all just play in freestyle no one knows what the other one is thinking. If we are in units I feel we get the understanding better and better, and Jude is a part of it because it is not only about the pattern, it is about the quality in the pattern.”
Tuchel added: “I’m not sure if it’s a reaction but it is what we want from him. He has been very positive from the first day in camp. He is fully into all the things from him as a team player, and he brings his individual quality to decide football games.
“That is what you see in World Cups now and what you see from other teams and other big players. He is a key player. And he buys into all the things that we demand of him as a team player. Well done until now. He needs to keep on going.”
Visit Bang Premier (main website)
