IT WAS a goal which felt instantly iconic, destined to be replayed for decades to come, particularly if England continue to progress here.
As fans braced for the end, preparing to rage against Gareth Southgate one last time or else slink away quietly, pretending this debacle had never happened, Jude Bellingham arched into the air to meet Marc Guehi's flick and spare his country an historic embarrassment.
Bellingham's acrobatic finish will take its place among the great England goals at major tournaments - David Platt at Italia 90, Paul Gascoigne at Euro 96, Michael Owen against Argentina in 1998, perhaps even Bobby Charlton's strike against Mexico in 1966-if England can, somehow, go on to win the Euros.
Why bother with a game-plan or a coherent structure when your boywonder can score with a 95th-minute bicycle kick? The question for England now is whether Bellingham's divine intervention can prove a catalyst for change and spark a turgid campaign into life?
Southgate was asked, presciently, on the eve of the game whether England needed a goal like Gazza's against Scotland in 1996 to change his side's course? The manager played down the prospect of one moment altering England's destiny but, as he begins to prepare for Saturday's quarter-final against Switzerland, he may now be inclined to think differently.
Moments of brilliance can galvanise teams and players, and Bellingham's goal has the potential to shake England from their stupor.
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Who is to blame for the lack of elite English managers?
Replacing Tuchel with a homegrown candidate will be no easy task
Who your club will sign and sell in the January market
Kolo Muani has more than one interested club in London, while there are big names unsettled and looking to move
The debt disaster threatening to leave Londoners without a drop to drink
Crisis-hit Thames Water could go under in days
Is 2025 the year of the first-time buyer?
This could be your best chance to buy a home in more than a decade here's where to look
Kick back in the Caribbean BodyHoliday, Saint Lucia
Green juices, beach workouts and supercharged facials: more and more of us are swapping piña coladas and indulgent food for a healthier, but no less glamorous, holiday.
Dishoom's Kavi Thakraron why Mumbai is his inspiration
The best street food, fantastic markets and bars where the hours just disappear...the restaurateur shares his guide
On the sauce - Adiamondis forever, after all
Double Diamond was supposedly Prince Philip’s favourite beer. He’s said to have enjoyed a bottle, nightly.
At the table - Queen of W1 expands empire with chic Italian
I understand it's not the done thing to compare restaurateurs to murderous mob bosses, given it's rude and, well, they're notoriously litigious. But when I think of Samyukta Nair, sometimes I hear Jack Nicholson's mutterings in The Departed, Martin Scorsese's Boston gangster flick. \"I don't want to be a product of my environment,\" Nichol- son says. \"I want my environment to be a product of me.\"
The Royal Academy's masterful show and mind-expanding surrealist paintings
Known for his intricate and stunning handmade tapestries, Siributr creates these vast hangings to explore his native Thailand past and present.
Review - Adrien Brody's power and depth shine in this colossal epic
The Brutalist, director Brady Corbet’s third feature, is a movie of such colossal size and scope it may well have been carved from marble; an epic paean to the immigrant experience in America in the wake of the Second World War.
