England vs Belgium LIVE: Result and final score as Jude Bellingham goal rescues draw at Wembley
England 2-2 Belgium: Bellingham’s 95th-minute equaliser salvaged a draw after Youri Tielemans punished two defensive mistakes
A late Jude Bellingham goal rescued England from a second consecutive defeat at Wembley as Gareth Southgate’s side salvaged a 2-2 draw against Belgium.
The Three Lions had trailed to a Youri Tielemans brace after Belgium punished two defensive mistakes in the first half - but Bellingham found an equaliser with the last kick of the game after England dominated the second half.
Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans scored twice before half-time, first punishing goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s woeful clearance, before Romelu Lukaku’s perfect cross set up his second after Lewis Dunk’s slip.
Ivan Toney scored his first England goal from the penalty spot to equalise in the first half, but Bellingham saw two chances go begging while Phil Foden also narrowly shot wide.
And Bellingham’s perseverance was rewarded as the Real Madrid midfielder fired a 95th-minute equaliser. Follow live updates from England vs Belgium in tonight’s live blog, while you can get the latest odds and tips on the match, here:
England pegged as favourites to win tonight... and to win the Euros
Even after Saturday’s underwhelming outing against Brazil, the bookmakers are still liking the look of England ahead of the Euros.
Here are the latest Betfair odds for tonight’s contest with Belgium, as well as an updated look at the favourites to lift silverware at Euro 2024.
England vs Belgium
England 4/6
Draw 15/8
Belgium 10/3
Euro 2024 winner
England: 3/1
France: 4/1
Germany: 6/1
Spain: 7/1
Portugal: 8/1
Italy, Belgium 14/1
Last time out against tonight’s opposition
England’s last outing against Belgium came in the Nations League nearly four years ago.
The Red Devils came out 2-0 victors, with goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens sealing the win in Leuven.
Tonight’s game will be the 25th meeting between the pair, and will be the first to be played out in front of fans since the 2018 World Cup - with their last two meetings being played behind closed doors due to restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A golden opportunity for Ivan Toney
With limited availability comes increased opportunity.
Gareth Southgate has confirmed that amid England’s injury crisis, Ivan Toney will ‘for sure’ be involved in tonight’s game against Belgium.
It acts as a massive chance for the Brentford frontman to leave an impression and prove why he should be on the plane bound for Germany come the summer.
Belgium entering a new generation under Domenico Tedesco
It’s safe to say that Belgium’s side has evolved since beating England at the 2018 World Cup. In fact, they’re almost unrecognisable.
With headline talents like Eden Hazard, Toby Alderwiereld and Dries Mertens no longer involved, a new generation of talent has emerged under head coach Domenico Tedesco.
It acts as a fresh challenge for Gareth Southgate, who can appreciate the job Tedesco has done in revamping a squad which, after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, was clearly beginning to stagnate.
“It’s obviously a new generation, if you like, bar (Romelu) Lukaku, (Jan) Vertonghen, I suppose (Timothy) Castagne to a degree,” Southgate told the PA news agency. “But from that team from 2018, a big evolution.
“I think Domenico (Tedesco) has done a very good job to this point through the qualifying campaign.”
England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?
Time is running out for England players to impress manager Gareth Southgate and win a place in his 23-player squad for Euro 2024.
England play Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia in Group C when they begin their quest to win the tournament in Germany this summer.
Southgate’s side topped their qualifying group without defeat and are one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Germany on 14 July, given their recent record in major tournaments and the outstanding form of attacking duo Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham this season.
But this is the last chance for players before he decides on his provisional squad on 21 May.
By Lawrence Ostlere
England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has work to do?
A closer look at which England players are heading to Germany for Euro 2024 and who might miss out on the final 23
Declan Rice ‘speechless’ at being granted honour of England captaincy
Declan Rice on captaining England for the first time:
“I am speechless to be honest with you; absolutely lost for words.
“When Gareth said to me last night I was going to be captain, I gave him a hug, shook his hand and said thank you very much.
“I owe him a lot since I first came into the team. He’s always made me feel at home, I’ve always felt so comfortable playing under him and I have really grown in confidence.
“So on my 50th cap to walk out at Wembley in front of my family and my friends, it is an absolute honour.
“I think you can see by my face that I am a bit speechless, to be honest with you.”
Declan Rice captains England for the first time
It’ll be a momentous occasion for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice as he wears the armband for the first time in tonight’s encounter with Belgium.
Rice already boasts captaincy experienced at club level, having been West Ham’s skipper as they won the Europa Conference League last season – his final game before a club-record £105million move to the Gunners followed.
He has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League this season as Mikel Arteta’s side push for the Premier League title and prepare for a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
Following in the footsteps of England’s World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore - a fellow former Hammer - Rice will have plenty of players running through his thoughts when he leads England out.
Declan Rice: As England captain I’ll be thinking of players I’ve learned from
As well as reaching a half-century of caps, Rice will also wear the armband at Wembley.
Jordan Henderson a doubt, while Jude Bellingham is ‘ready for games’
Some slightly better injury news to bring you.
Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer were both absent for the weekend’s outing against Brazil - and while the new Ajax skipper is unlikely to make his return against Belgium, Gareth Southgate is hopeful Palmer can feature this evening.
The England manager is also certain that Jude Bellingham is ready to play a full match, having spent close to two months rehabbing a sprained ankle.
Speaking in his press conference on Monday, Southgate said: “Hendo probably not, Cole is back in training so that is possible.
“With Jude, absolutely (he can play the full 90 minutes). Jude had cramps the other day. He’s missed quite a bit of football recently so actually, he is ready for games.”
Gareth Southgate sees silver lining to England injury woes
Gareth Southgate on England injuries:
“It’s an incredible number unavailable to us. I haven’t experienced that before.
“But it means there’s opportunities for other people. We saw against Brazil players step up and take those opportunities which is great for us as well.
“I have to say, with everything that’s happened, the original idea or plan for the week is a little bit different.
“We’re probably finding out about more players, but that’s really helpful. To see all those players against high level opposition will help us make better decisions moving forward.”
Four players return to clubs as injury crisis worsens
As preparations ramp up for Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate can now count as many as 15 regular players unavailable to him through injury.
A crisis that has exacerbated in the aftermath of England’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday, Southgate has since seen Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Sam Johnstone and Harry Maguire all return to their clubs with fitness woes.
The quartet joins Bukayo Saka on the list of recent England casualties, with the Arsenal winger having pulled out of the squad prior to the weekend.
Adding to a lengthy absentee list that includes the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nick Pope, Luke Shaw, Mark Ghehi and Callum Wilson, Southgate has bemoaned the misfortune of his side in what is the worst injury crisis he has ever experienced.
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