By Edmund J. Rogers 
England ended Euro 2024 qualification with two games in reserve, as Harry Kane’s double helped Gareth Southgate’s side to a 3-1 victory over Italy. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford are impressive, but concerns about the fitness of Calvin Phillips in the match persist
Bellingham has made considerable progress
Jude Bellingham started running deep into his own half and kept moving, his legs moving quickly and defenders following on his heels as space opened up and the Wembley crowd perked up.
This sensational and fast Sprint, in which Marcus Rashford scored the decisive second goal, as England beat Italy and won at Euro 2024, was a spectacular sight and was just the recent example of a player reaching breathtaking heights.
The head coach of the England team, Gareth Southgate, said after the match: “He has an incredible mentality. It’s awesome that he showed such maturity and humility at such a young age, and we were lucky to have him.
“I think he has become a catalyst. I just think the way he’s holding and the way he’s playing on the pitch shows that. Honestly, it’s been with him since he crossed the threshold.
Harry Maguire then said that there was “no chance” that any other midfielder in the world could match Bellingham, and you can’t argue otherwise. Not when this single player is capable of defeating the great Europeans, both at international and national level.
What he is doing despite being 20 years old is simply awesome. In his first 10 games for Real Madrid, the biggest Club in the world, he scored 10 goals. He has yet to prove himself in the England team shirt, but what does it matter when he does so many other things?
He took a penalty and England equalized, proving too quick for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the Italy penalty area, and his explosive power became even more evident after a sensational second goal.
Italy simply could not handle it and their beleaguered players had no choice but to turn it around. Indeed, in addition to the fact that Bellingham achieved more success than any of his teammates, he committed the most fouls. He leads the rankings in the number of runs scored and interceptions, which underlines his overall contribution.
Its fullness is scary. Or rather, it scares the opponents of the England team. For the British themselves, this is an opportunity to dream of glory at Euro 2024. Because, as Italy discovered, Bellingham is sometimes difficult to stop when he starts acting.