Why Jude Bellingham’s First 20 Minutes Prove He’s England’s Unstoppable Future Captain
The players followed suit, Declan Rice leading the way as captain, scoring, assisting and sending a message that England do have good players. Saka initially shone in comparison to the great Kylian Mbappe. A show of force, of goals, a show perhaps also to their manager that they should be trusted.
Rice bestrode the first half, picking off Desire Doue’s pass, being too quick for Malo Gusto and Zaire-Emery, and then using Ibrahima Konate as a shield to mask intentions from Mike Maignan, and finish powerfully: 0-1. Rice then curled in a corner, Ezri Konsa was too strong for Adrien Rabiot, and headed past Maignan: 0-2. The men with three lions on their shirt were rampant, unstoppable, seizing a third when Rashford and Saka combined, Maignan went walkabout, and Saka finished: 0-3. Arsenal’s “star-boy” then ran on to a pass from Eberechi Eze and shot low past Maignan: 0-4.
As Rice and Mbappe were swapping shirts in the tunnel at the break, Didier Deschamps was making more than a wardrobe change. Theo Hernandez, Rayan Cherki, Ibrahima Konate and Desire Doue were hooked. Lucas Digne, Upamecano, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele came on and immediately made a difference. Upamecano outmuscled Ollie Watkins, who’d replaced Rashford on the left, Michael Olise angled a through ball for Mbappe, whose left foot placed it past Henderson; 1-4. Mbappe now played the creator, guiding Barcola into space. He was too quick for Konsa, too clinical for Henderson; 2-4. Olise then released Mbappe through England’s shell-shocked defence: 3-4. Chasing the Golden Boot, Mbappe moved two clear of Lionel Messi on 10.
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