Jude Bellingham has expressed frustration over England's tendency to struggle in their second match of major tournaments, dubbing it 'second game fever' after their 0-0 draw with Ghana at the World Cup on Tuesday.
Despite a strong start with a win over Croatia, England found themselves held to a frustrating stalemate by Ghana's resolute defense. Nico O'Reilly hit the bar late on, and Harry Kane missed a rebound, underscoring England's difficulty in breaking down the African side.
Recurring Issue
Bellingham, who earned his 50th cap against Ghana, noted that this is the fourth consecutive major tournament where England has started with a win followed by a draw in their second match. 'Very frustrating. Like, second game fever, you know, the same as always with us,' he said.
'It feels like in all the tournaments I've been to, it's been the same, a decent performance to start and a good win. And then just the second one frustrated a little bit with how they defended, how they set up... credit to them. They got exactly out of the game what they played for, couldn't quite break them down,' Bellingham added.
Looking Ahead
Despite the draw, England remains a heavy favorite to win Group L and advance to the last 32, where they will face a third-placed team. Their next opponents are Panama, whom they thrashed 6-1 in the 2018 World Cup group stage.
Bellingham insisted there was no cause for concern within the England camp and emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive outlook. 'It's important for us not to get too negative, not to get too het up on it. No worries, no stress, no drama at all in there,' he said.
Learning Experience
The Real Madrid midfielder believes that England's exposure to different styles of play will benefit them in the latter stages of the tournament. 'We're not only going to play teams from Europe or what we're used to. It's amazing to be able to play so early a strong opponent from Africa who pose completely different threats,' Bellingham noted.
'You saw that today. They were exceptional on the counter-attack. They always kept that little bit of fear in us when we were going forward. But part of the beautiful thing of the World Cup is that you get to play against teams, players, styles of play that you don't normally get to play against. It will stand us in good stead going into the rest of the tournament, for sure,' he concluded.
