"Coming for the Ballon d’Or", "Will retire as England's greatest ever player" - Fans hail star after 5-0 win over Ireland
England fans on X have waxed lyrical about Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham after he put in an excellent performance during their 5-0 win against Ireland. The two sides faced each other in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, November 17.
Ireland defended well in the first half to keep the scores level going into the break. However, the floodgates opened after Bellingham won his nation a penalty after being fouled inside the box in the 51st minute, leading to Liam Scales being sent off. Harry Kane converted it two minutes later to make it 1-0.
Anthony Gordon (55') and Conor Gallagher (58') netted in quick succession to give England a dominant advantage. Bellingham then delivered an exceptional pass into the path of Jarrod Bowen, who finished with his first touch of the game to make it 4-0 (76'). The Real Madrid midfielder then executed an inch-perfect cross which was headed in by debutant Taylor Harwood-Bellis three minutes later to secure all three points.
Despite having a slow start to the season for Los Blancos, Bellingham was brilliant against Ireland. The 21-year-old completed 83 passes from an attempted 93 with an accuracy of 89%. He also created three chances, provided two assists, made five recoveries, and completed three crosses with an accuracy of 75%.
One fan predicted:
"Will retire as England's greatest ever player"
Another fan tweeted:
"He’s getting back to his normal self."
Other reactions can be viewed below:
"Jude could compete for the next ballon d’or," one fan insisted
"Show me a better midfielder," another added
"He’s balling out finally," one fan typed
"This is ZIDANE regen. We’re coming for the ballon d’or"
"Bellingham’s vision is next level," another chimed in
How did England fare in their 5-0 win over Ireland?
England secured promotion back to Nations League A following their 5-0 win over Ireland. Lee Carsley ended his term as interim manager on a high with the Three Lions finishing at the top of their group with 15 points from six games, level on points with second-placed Greece.
The hosts extended their dominant form following their recent 3-0 win over Greece. They had more possession with 74 percent of the ball, completing 630 passes with an accuracy of 93 percent. Meanwhile, Ireland had 26 percent possession and completed 189 passes with an accuracy of 76 percent.
England were also more threatening in attack, landing 22 shots in total with seven being on target (xG of 3.06). In comparison, Ireland landed just one shot on target from their only attempt with a low xG of 0.04.
Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on 18th November 2024 at 12:40 AM IST. They are subject to change as per the platform's prerogative.