England fans reaction to Jude Bellingham's bicycle kick was pure chaos
England's highly-anticipated Round of 16 Euros battle with Slovakia took a wild turn in the 95th minute Sunday afternoon. With England on its heels and time running short, Jude Bellingham tied the match with an incredible bicycle kick.
As he sprinted up the field in celebration, fans in the stadium looked on in awe. It was the most appropriate and poetic way to extend the game. To quote my colleague Nevin Brown: "Jude Bellingham is the one and only him."
Bellingham's poor performance has been under the microscope in recent matches, but he put all that in the rearview mirror in one fell swoop(ing kick). Just an incredible display of athleticism at the most clutch and opportune time.
Jude Bellingham sends England into a frenzy with clutch kick vs. Slovakia
After draws against Denmark and Slovenia, Bellingham came under fire for his rocky late-game play. He even admitted to exhaustion in the wake of a trying first season with Real Madrid.
"I felt like I was absolutely dead."
The talented 21-year-old managed to dig deep and come up with a key play when it mattered most, though. Even more fittingly, Bellingham celebrated his birthday on Saturday. What a 48 hours. You can't script it any better.
As soon as Bellingham's kick hit the back of the net, London exploded. It sure looks like the English are ready to forgive him for a few subpar outings. Sports are, after all, about what you've done for me lately. Bellingham has done quite a lot in the last hour.
It's always a bit jarring for us Americans to see clips of international sports fans. We can into arguments about the best NBA fanbase or whatever, but the loudest New York Knicks game at MSG can't touch a football watch party in England. Fandom is built different over there. This stuff means a lot, especially when teams are playing for an entire country.
England carried the momentum from Bellingham's miraculous shot into the later stages of the match. Shortly after, Harry Kane gave England the lead with a header through traffic.
Anything can happen in the hours and days to come, but English fans will remember this Bellingham kick for a long time. This is what legends are made of.