UEFA Nations League

JUDE BELLINGHAM hailed a former Manchester City star a “legend” after working with him for England.The midfielder seems to be enjoying working alongside former Premier League winner Joleon Lescott.Jude Bellingham reserved praise for one of his England coachesCredit: GettyThe pair appear to have been getting on well in trainingCredit: InstagramBellingham shared a photo of the pair of them in training at St. George’s Park, calling him a legend.However Lescott may not be around for much longer as he only moved up to coach the senior team when Lee Carsley was appointed interim manager, having coached the Under-21s under Carsley.Bellingham was put through his paces by Lescott ahead of England’s Nations League clash with Ireland.The Real Madrid star showed a return to form against Greece on Thursday, helping England to a 3-0 win which puts their fate in their own hands.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLA win over Ireland will see them regain their place in Nations League A following relegation two years ago.Bellingham, 21, was pleased with the win and performance against Greece, and he was full of praise for his team-mates after the match.The Galactico said: “A lot was made of the lads that weren’t here but the lads that were here, who showed up, were amazing.“There would have been a million and one excuses if we hadn’t played well or not got over the line.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSEngland ratings vs Greece as Madueke and Jones steal the show after Kane benchedIT IS difficult to remember an England starting XI which, on paper at least, looked as totally underwhelming as this one.Yet manager-in-waiting Thomas Tuchel, presumably watching the game at his home in Bavaria, will have been hugely encouraged by this performance from what appeared to be a complete mish-mash of a team – and one which was awfully short of experience.Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated England’s stars…Jordan Pickford – 8Back in after being dropped for Finland last month – and showed a good response. Great stop to deny Kostas Tsimikas at the near post and alive to danger throughout.Earned his first-ever booking in 72 England caps for time wasting in the first half.Kyle Walker – 7Captain in Harry Kane’s absence and passionately conveyed his side’s frustration to ref Daniel Siebert when Pickford was booked.Moved to centre-back after the break when Ezri Konsa went off.Marc Guehi – 7Another solid performance from the Crystal Palace man who you would think would be a first-choice starter for Thomas Tuchel when the German begins work.Ezri Konsa – 7One of several players targeted by a laser in the crowd, along with Pickford and Belligham.Limped off just before half-time and was replaced by Lewis Hall at the break.Rico Lewis – 7Filled in at left-back over newbie Hall, before moving to the right when the Newcastle man came on.Almost had his first England goal early in the second half but was denied by a fine stop from Hall’s club-mate Odysseas Vlachodimos.Curtis Jones – 9Sparkled on debut in the heart of midfield, not looking overawed in the slightest. Played deeper than he does for Liverpool, but in the same position where he shone for Lee Carsley in England’s triumphant Under-21 Euros last summer.Gorgeous backheel to cap his bow with the third goal.Conor Gallagher – 7Started brightly next to Jones, though gave the ball away a few times after the break. Booked for stopping a quick free-kick early on.Arrived just too late to poke in the rebound from Bellingham’s strike as it had already crossed the line for an own goal.Noni Madueke – 9A blistering first start from the Chelsea man who put real pressure on Bukayo Saka’s place with this performance.He took on his man at every opportunity, at pace, and had excellent end product too, setting up Watkins’ opener and a header for Bellingham which hit the post.Jude Bellingham – 8Some sublime touches and passes from the talisman, including a wonderful ball round the corner to release Madueke in the build-up to the opener.Seemed to thrive with pace all around him and killed off the game with his late strike which hit the post and bounced in off the keeper.Anthony Gordon – 7Provided a threat down the left with his pace and trickery, even if he was outshone by Madueke. A decent display but not one that demanded he start at left wing every game.Ollie Watkins – 7The surprise starter over Harry Kane. He took his early chance well, converting from the edge of the six-yard box.Could have had another when sent clean through but the ball got stuck under his feet.SubsLewis Hall (for Ezri Konsa half-time) – 7Came on at half-time for his debut and did not put a foot wrong.Harry Kane (for Ollie Watkins, 66) – 6Had a curling effort well stopped after exchanging passes with fellow sub Morgan Rogers.Morgan Rogers (for Anthony Gordon, 66) – 8Some exciting touches from the Villa debutant, including one to release Bellingham in the lead-up to the second goal.Jarrod Bowen (for Noni Madueke, 66) – 7Clever nutmeg to free Morgan Gibbs-White, who then teed up Jones.Morgan Gibbs-White (for Gallagher, 79) – 7Cutback for Jones was on the money.Lescott is a big admirer of Bellingham and not just for his football ability, praising his conduct off the pitch.He said: “Jude’s had a huge impact at Real Madrid and that’s incredible to think from a boy who’s come from Birmingham. As a human he’s impressive as well, not just as a footballer, he’s someone you can look up to and admire.ITV ‘do England stars dirty’ as live footage of national anthem singing leaves fans in hysterics”He’s carrying himself well and delivering on the pitch. He understands the game at a level he shouldn’t at his age. Long may it continue for himself and England because he could win the Ballon D’or and that would be a huge thing for England.” More

SERBIA star Aleksa Terzic went from ecstasy to injury after a failed celebration left him in a heap on the floor.Terzic, 25, scored a last gasp equaliser for Serbia as the Eagles snatched a late point off rival nation Switzerland in the Nations League on Saturday.Serbia’s Aleksa Terzic west left looking injured on the floor after a failed celebrationCredit: EPATerzic had tried to recreate Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic Siuuu celebrationCredit: GettyThe star’s legs buckled underneath him and he fell to the groundCredit: Youtube/ViaplaySerbia players piled on top of Terzic to celebrate the late equaliserCredit: EPAThe Serbs were trailing 1-0 heading into the dying embers of the game after Zeki Amdouni had put Switzerland ahead in the 78th minute.But a misplaced late corner for the Swiss allowed visitors Serbia to launch a quick counter-attack that was finished off by Terzic.The versatile RB Salzburg wide-man neatly curled his effort past Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to pull the scores level.Naturally, he wanted to soak in the moment and celebrate in front of the away fans, but his overexcitement left him laying on the floor seemingly in pain.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLTerzic had tried to mimic Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous “SIUUU” celebration, but mistimed his leap into the air and crashed down to the floor in an uncomfortable position.The former Fiorentina man immediately took a tumble to the turf and lay by the corner flag as his teammates smothered him in the late celebrations.Fortunately, Terzic was able to get back to his feet after the mishap, seemingly shaking any concern over a serious injury from the celebration.However, the late goal did spell the end of his evening as Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic immediately replaced him with Sasa Zdjelar.Most read in FootballCristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siuu’ celebration has become famous around the globeCredit: GettyTerzic delightfully curled the ball past Gregor KobelCredit: EPAHis goal secured a valuable point for SerbiaCredit: EPAFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe defensive switch helped Serbia see out the remainder of the match and earn their second point of the Nations League campaign.The point meant that the Serbs remain above Switzerland in League A, Group 4 – something that will be huge to the fans given the deep-rooted rivalry between the two nations.Fans call Granit Xhaka a ‘master of dark arts’ as they spot moment Arsenal star wound up WHOLE Serbia bench at World CupSerbia and Switzerland have some bad blood between them regarding the ethnic heritage of some of Swiss players.Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri have previously celebrated using the Albanian Eagle – the nationalist symbol of their ethnic heritage.Shaqiri was born in Kosovo (a former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008).Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s independence and relations remain tense with many families choosing to move to other European counties including Switzerland.The rivalry often throws up controversy with Xhaka involved in a few feisty moments down the years, including “rattling” the Serbia bench by grabbing his NUTS during the 2022 World Cup.Switzerland vs Serbia is a fixture with a history of needleCredit: Alamy More