England's 'Unbelievable' Jude Bellingham Wows Fans in World Cup 2022 Win vs. Senegal
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVDecember 4, 2022
Some of the most exciting young talent in football has been on display at this year's World Cup. Jude Bellingham is on the short list.
The England midfielder was transcendent during Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal, notching an assist, playing a key role in all three goals (scored by Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka) and generally bossing the middle of the pitch.
It's important to remember that Bellingham is just 19, and on Sunday he was the best player on the pitch—an impressive feat considering the staggering talent on display for England.
Suffice to say, football Twitter was more than a little smitten with the youngster:
The result was perhaps a bit harsh on Senegal, which played well for much of the first half and had a number of chances to take the early lead.
But England held on, broke the dam and have now outscored their opponents 12-2 at this World Cup in four games with an impressive display of attacking efficiency. (While United States men's national team fans will be disappointed with Saturday's 3-1 loss against the Netherlands, they'll take some consolation from the fact that their young team held England to a scoreless draw.)
That attacking prowess will be tested in the quarterfinals, however, against a France squad that has outscored its opponents 9-4 in four games and features the otherworldly Kylian Mbappe, who is already on five goals by himself.
It's set up to be a brilliant showdown between two European rivals, as the Euro 2020 runners-up look to unseat the defending World Cup champions. The Three Lions haven't won the World Cup since 1966—it's only fitting that they'll have to go through the current holders to end that streak.
It's a tall task, but having one of the world's most exciting young players in Bellingham leaves England with a real shot.