Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria
San Marino

Jude Bellingham stars as England cruise to victory over rivals Scotland

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 September 2023, 20:40
England recorded their 600th international victory when they beat rivals Scotland 3-1 at Hampden Park in a friendly on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham starred for the Three Lions with a goal and an assist, while Phil Foden and Harry Kane also got their names on the scoresheet as Gareth Southgate's men ended Scotland's perfect record in 2023.

After strikes from both Foden and Bellingham put England in control at the break, a second-half own goal from substitute Harry Maguire gave the Tartan Army hope of a comeback, but Kane restored the visitors' two-goal cushion nine minutes from time to claim the bragging rights against Steve Clarke's side in Glasgow.

Hampden Park was honored by hosting the 116th match between England and Scotland to mark the 150th anniversary of the first meeting between the two home nations back in November 1872.

After a deafening sound of Scotland boos rang around Hampden Park for England's national anthem, the Three Lions began the contest in control of proceedings, but both nations struggled to pose a real threat in the final third, with the best chance in the first half-hour falling to Foden, who skied a decent opportunity well over from inside the area.

Kyle Walker, who scored his first England goal in a 1-1 draw against Ukraine last weekend, then fired an effort from a tight angle through several bodies and wide of the far post, but the England right-back managed to combine with Manchester City teammate Foden, albeit in somewhat fortunate circumstances, for the opening goal on the 32-minute mark.

After receiving the ball from Marcus Rashford on the right side of the penalty area, Walker lashed a strike into the six-yard area, and his wayward shot was expertly directed into the back of the net with a first-time touch from Foden, who celebrated his fourth goal for the Three Lions.

Two minutes and 47 seconds later, England doubled their lead courtesy of a composed strike from Bellingham, who capitalised on a defensive error from Andrew Robertson to slot home his sixth goal in as many appearances for club and country so far this season.

The Real Madrid man started the move with some silky link-up play with Foden down the left before the latter's wicked cross into the danger zone fell to Robertson, who was unable to adjust his feet and eventually flicked the ball straight to Bellingham to place a first-time finish beyond Angus Gunn.

England were in cruise control as temperatures began to rise between both teams towards the end of the half when Kalvin Phillips harshly received the first booking of the match for what appeared to be a strong but fair tackle on Che Adams - Scotland were unable to take advantage of the resulting free kick, though, and England boasted a two-goal half-time lead against the Tartan Army for the first time since November 1999.

Southgate made one tactical change at half time with Maguire coming on for Marc Guehi at centre-back, while Scotland waited until the 59th minute to make two attacking changes in the form of Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Christie, who replaced Adams and Billy Gilmour.

As England took their foot off the gas, Scotland put theirs on the accelerator and showed a greater urgency in the final third, with Christie firstly firing a low-driven strike well wide shortly after Lewis Dunk brilliantly blocked a shot from Aaron Hickey following a neat one-two with John McGinn on the edge of the area.

Scotland's efforts to get back into the game were eventually rewarded in the 67th minute when Roberson bizarrely found himself down the right wing and placed a low cross into the danger zone, where Maguire stuck his leg out and directed the ball into his own net.

However, England responded well and almost restored their two-goal cushion when substitute Eberechi Eze ran through on goal moments after coming on, but Gunn stood his ground to keep the Crystal Palace man out.

England made no mistake nine minutes from time, though, and Bellingham capped a marvelous display by turning on the edge of the box and setting up Kane with a perfectly-weighted through-ball before the Bayern Munich striker slotted home a composed left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

The Three Lions will return to international action when they play host to Australia in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on October 13, while Scotland will look to seal qualification for Euro 2024 in their next match away against Group A rivals Spain a day earlier.

Top News

22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow as a second-choice stopper. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With most domestic leagues across Europe now in the rear-view mirror, at least for now, attention has swiftly turned to this summer's Euro 2024 extravaganza in Germany. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly prepared to sell midfielder Bernardo Silva for £50m this summer. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid defender David Alaba is due to be involved with Austria at Euro 2024, despite being ruled out of the tournament. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol has confirmed his 26-man squad for Euro 2024, with the national team preparing to take part in the European Championship for the first time in their history. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sweden Under-17s and Poland Under-17s will both look to claim their first win of the European Under-17 Championship when they face off at the AEK Arena on Friday. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Italy Under-17s will be looking to claim a second straight victory when they face Slovakia Under-17s in the European Under-17 Championship. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly attempting to engineer a move to Al-Nassr for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes during this summer's transfer window. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England head coach Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Michael Olise is being monitored, with the attacker an option for the Three Lions in the future. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all reportedly been in touch over a possible move for Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva during this summer's transfer window. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna has insisted that he is not paying too much attention to the speculation surrounding his future. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newly-appointed Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is supposedly keen to reunite with one of his former Feyenoord captains at Anfield next season. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The agent of Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has confirmed that Chelsea are interested in signing his client during this summer's transfer window. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jadon Sancho has allegedly purchased a £3.8m mansion in Greater Manchester, with the forward seemingly preparing to be back with Manchester United next season. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly identified their preferred candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Just two days on from locking horns with Tottenham Hotspur in Melbourne, Newcastle United take part in this year's A-League All Stars match on Friday at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United edged out Tottenham Hotspur on penalties after the two sides shook hands on a 1-1 draw in a post-season friendly in Melbourne. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Slovenia head coach Matjaz Kek has revealed a list of 30 players for his preliminary Euro 2024 squad, as the world's 57th-ranked nation endeavour to defy the odds and seal a top-two finish in the section. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Supporting a club like Chelsea comes with its pros and cons. You could probably make that case for any club, but with Chelsea, you know that emotionally investing yourself to a manager of player comes with its consequences. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to seal a third-placed Serie A finish, Bologna head to Luigi Ferraris on Friday evening to face mid-table Genoa in their closing fixture of the campaign. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland manager Steve Clarke has selected his 28-player preliminary squad for Euro 2024. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For the last time as Cagliari manager and potentially the last time ever, Claudio Ranieri takes to the touchline on Thursday, when his side welcome Fiorentina to Unipol Domus in Serie A action. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be bidding to record their fourth straight victory in La Liga when they end their 2023-24 campaign with a clash against Sevilla on Sunday night. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to end what has been a highly-impressive La Liga campaign on a positive note when they welcome Real Betis to Bernabeu on Saturday night. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be bidding to win the FA Cup for the 13th time in their history when they take on Manchester City in the final of the competition on Saturday afternoon. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Concluding a sensational 2023-24 La Liga campaign, Champions League-bound Girona welcome relegated Granada to Montilivi on Friday. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh from being crowned as Premier League champions for the fourth season in a row, Manchester City will tackle bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kylian Mbappe's agent and mother has hinted that the France international will be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mauricio Pochettino's departure from Chelsea has reportedly placed Manchester United and Bayern Munich on high alert, with both clubs considering a move for the Argentine. 22 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly been informed that they will have to come up with an offer of £80m in order to sign Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite during this summer's transfer window.