James Maddison claimed a last-gasp assist for Jude Bellingham in England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium on Tuesday
Jude Bellingham was full of praise for James Maddison after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder assisted his Tuesday night, late goal versus Belgium.
With practically the final kick of the match against the Red Devils, twenty-year-old Bellingham gave England a 2-2 draw. Ivan Toney’s first-half penalty had been followed by braces from Youri Tielemans.
However, Madison—earning only his sixth cap for the Three Lions—selected Bellingham with a deft outside-of-the-boot pass inside the penalty area during extra time at the end of the second half. The Real Madrid midfielder made no mistakes as he expertly controlled the pass before hitting Matz Sels with a low, powerful shot.
After the game, Bellingham thanked Maddison for his assist by commenting on an Instagram post of the 27-year-old’s: “What a f***ing player.”
Speaking after the draw at Wembley, Maddison insisted he has the belief and quality to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s strongest XI for this summer’s Euros.
“You have to make sure when you are called upon, you do the business,” said Maddison. “I don’t lack the confidence and belief in myself to do that. I just want that opportunity, I want that time on the pitch, because I know what I’m capable of. I know my quality can help this team, most definitely. I show what I have in training every day. The manager sees it.”
Maddison added he would like more England opportunities, saying: “You’ve also got to show it, and you’ve also got to have the opportunity to show it. I didn’t feature in the first game, which was disappointing. Watching on the side (against Belgium), I could see there was quite a lot of space between the lines, where I like to play, so I was thinking, ‘Come on, Gareth…there’s a lot of space!'”
Maddison has been a key player for Spurs since making the move to North London from relegated Leicester City last summer. In the Premier League, the midfielder has scored four goals and laid on a further eight assists as Ange Postecoglou’s side battle with Manchester United and Aston Villa for Champions League qualification.
