Jude Bellingham and the rest of England were left incredibly disappointed on Sunday night after Spain triumphed – although the Real Madrid No.5 was initially furious just before Ollie Watkins replaced Harry Kane.
The 21-year-old could be seen seething on the pitch just before the hour mark, with Gareth Southgate seemingly the target of his anger.
So, why did Jude Bellingham react angrily just before Aston Villa No.11 Ollie Watkins came on for England? Let’s take a look…
Jude Bellingham seen reacting furiously during Spain 2-1 England
Mark Ogden of ESPN has now shared some details about what he witnessed from the Birmingham City academy graduate in Berlin on Sunday.
He said: “Jude Bellingham was getting frustrated. I don’t know if it came across on camera but just before Kane was taken off (for Watkins), Jude Bellingham lost it with Gareth Southgate on the side of the pitch, as if to say, change something, do something, and Kane was taken off.”
It was becoming abundantly clear that some form of change needed to happen, as Spain took control of the second half after scoring just moments into it through Nico Williams.
In fairness to Southgate, his substitutions quickly paid off, as Cole Palmer scored just three minutes after coming on for Kobbie Mainoo in the 70th minute, and England looked most likely to score for a period after that equaliser.
Unfortunately, Luis de la Fuente saw a change of his own – Mikel Oyarzabal for Alvaro Morata in the 68th minute – pay off even more greatly, as the Real Sociedad No.10 scored the winner for Spain.
Gareth Southgate was about to anger the entire nation
While it was Southgate’s inactivity that annoyed Bellingham before Watkins came on, the 53-year-old almost, presumably, angered the entirety of England with a double change he was planning to make.
With the scores level at 1-1 heading into the final ten minutes, Conor Gallagher and Kieran Trippier could be seen preparing themselves to come on, in what appeared to be a highly negative, defensive alteration.
That change would have been an admission that England were happy to cling on and force the game into extra-time. Bringing the likes of Ivan Toney or Anthony Gordon onto the field would have signalled the opposite.
Southgate then abandoned the double change when Spain went 2-1 up.
READ MORE: Dean Smith shares one thing Ollie Watkins “obsessed” over in Aston Villa training
Ultimately, England were simply outclassed by Spain, and the 58-year wait for silverware goes on.