Scotland 1-3 England: international football friendly – as it happened (2024)

That’s it for tonight. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s match report – goodnight.

More from Jude Bellingham

We were massively disappointed with Saturday’s performance. It’s a great mentality to have: never being satisfied, never making excuses and always trying to improve. We don’t see each other often so results like help to build camaraderie.

The remarkable Jude Bellingham speaks to Channel 4

I wasn’t happy with how I played in Poland against Ukraine. Tonight I was motivated to get back to my best, and I think that was close to it. It was more than a friendly – it means so much to the fans, for bragging rights and all those kinds of things, and I wanted the England fans to go home happy.

[On his goalscoring spurt] If you look at my performances in Madrid so far, they’re quite complete because I’ve been given freedom by the amazing teammates, coaching staff and manager that I’ve got. They allow me to go all over the pitch – to help in the build-up, to create and to get in the box to finish chanced. I can do all of that pretty well. I can still do a lot better, and that’s what I’m trying to prove to you all.

[What’s your favourite role with England?] I think today was close to it. It depends on the system we play. It’s tough because we’ve got so many amazing players to accommodate and get the best out of, so it shouldn’t be built around what I do really well.

The team always comes first. I do my best to try to slot in and do what the gaffer wants from me. Tonight was probably a bit better suited than the weekend [laughs] but, erm, no hints to the gaffer! I really enjoyed playing in that position.

[On his assist for Harry Kane] I got the ball from Dec and then turned. I went the long way round and tried to use my body. I saw the goal open up, then at the last minute I thought if I could feint as if I was going to have a shot that I’d commit a body, then I could slip into H. He’s always in the right place, and it was more his positioning that allowed me to give him the ball.

At the start of the decade, Jude Bellingham was earning £145 a week.

Scotland didn’t qualify for Euro 2024 either

On Channel 4, Graeme Souness, aged 70, says “this is the strongest England group I’ve ever seen”. There are still a few imperfections – and they’ve still never beaten a world-class team in a knockout game outside England, which is a significant mental block – but it does feel like a tournament win is coming.

“Ok, so it wasn’t a tournament game, and that Bellingham’s a bit good, but I’m worried by how casual the Scotland defence looked first half,” writes James Humphries. “And, mark my words, Gunn’s got a disastrous rick in him sooner rather than later. Disagree about ‘different league’, though – mighty England have managed, what, two draws and a win in the last three meetings, and that win in a... ‘friendly’.”

Pick a combined XI; how many Scotland players would get in? I should strss that I say this as a neutral.

“The difference for Maguire with England as opposed to with United is that he has solid achievements behind him,” writes Philip. “He scored an own goal and England fans had his corner - ‘Harry Maguire, he’s winning 3-1’.”

I thought he was generally very good for United in his first two seasons, although even then he was never a crowd favourite.

For three-quarters of the game, England played with authority, dynamism and just the right amount of arrogance. Phil Foden and the outstanding Jude Bellingham put them 2-0 up at half-time and, though they lost their way at the start of the second half, Harry Maguire’s unforunate own goal snapped them back into focus. Bellingham soon made the third for Harry Kane, and that was that.

Scotland didn’t do themselves justice. They were arguably too meek until they went 2-0 down, and Andy Robertson made a horrible mistake for Bellingham’s goal. It was just a bad night.

Peep peep! We came to praise international football’s oldest rivalry; alas, England decided to bury it. Their emphatic victory was a reminder that the football world has changed, and that England are in a different league to Scotland now (the Nations League notwithstanding).

90+2 min “The most affecting moment from the Graham Taylor documentary The Impossible Job was when he turns to the crowd who are piling into John Barnes and reminds them that it’s human beings out there on the pitch,” says Tom Atkins. “Taylor wasn’t a good England manager but he was a good man. Southgate, who does a reasonable job of both things, could do with reminding some people of that.”

Yeah, it’s gone way too far now. This has been going on, pretty much, since Euro 2021 (when he was in the team of the tournament).

90+1 min Three minutes of added time.

90 min “I’m sticking by what I said after their draw at the weekend: England will be ok,” says Simon McMahon. “Reality check for Scotland tonight, though qualification for a second consecutive Euro finals is almost guaranteed. And will be more straightforward than the last time, which produced one of the all-time great post-match interviews from Ryan Christie.”

89 min: Scotland substitution x2 Nathan Patterson and Ryan Jack replace Aaron Hickey and Callum McGregor.

88 min It can be hard to contextualise a friendly/scrimmage/Hegelian dialectic, but in the moment this feels like one of England’s better performances under Gareth Southgate. Bellingham’s development into a proper, attacking midfielder, not just a dominant No8, gives them an even greater chance of winning Euro 2024.

85 min Bellingham was frighteningly good. He could – and I can’t stress the word ‘could’ enough – become England’s greatest ever player; he’s that good, and crucially he seems to have the temperament to do whatever it takes to dominate world football for the next 10-15 years.

84 min: Double substitution for England Callum Wilson and Conor Gallagher replace Harry Kane, who gives the armband to Harry Maguire, and Jude Bellingham.

82 min: Double substitution for Scotland Lewis Ferguson and Stuart Armstrong replace Kieran Tierney and John McGinn.

Bellingham, who has been magnificent, made the goal. He swerved away from Christie, 30 yards from goal, drew Tierney and slipped a disguised pass through to Kane in the area. Kane got the wrong side of Robertson, took a touch and finished expertly with his left foot. That’s a really fine goal.

Harry Kane settles the match with a superb goal.

80 min Maguire is still being cheered every time he gets the ball. His mental strength, to endure this level of ridicule and still play at a decent level, is pretty remarkable. I know I wouldn’t last five minutes, never mind two or three years. The level of abuse he has received since Euro 2021 is scandalous.

79 min Rice’s good cross is turned behind by Hickey, with Kane waiting behind him. England have regained control of the game. Apart from a 20-minute spell after half time when they became a bit complacent, they’ve been extremely good tonight.

78 min The last English player to win the Ballon d’Or was Michael Owen in 2001. Use this fact at dinner parties while you can, because Jude Bellingham will soon make it obsolete.

76 min Tierney is booked for pulling back Saka.

75 min That Scotland goal has woken England up. Bellingham slaloms elegantly past three players as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, then rams a low left-footed shot that takes a slight deflection and is kicked away by Gunn at the near post.

74 min: Kane has a goal disallowed It was a clear foul, a push on Tierney, though he finished emphatically.

73 min: Fine save from Gunn! Eze almost scores immediately. Walker, in his own half, clipped a terrific flat pass over the Scotland defence. Eze controlled it majestically on the run, but Gunn flew from his line to block the shot.

72 min: Double substitution for England Ebere Eze and Bukayo Saka replace Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, who were extremely good in the first half and a bit unfocussed in the second.

71 min: Chance for Scotland! A brilliant cross from Robertson is headed wide by McGinn at the near post. In fact, replays show McGinn mistimed his stooping header, with the ball hitting his shoulder and flying wide.

69 min Robertson’s cross is headed across goal and wide by the stretching Dykes. Hampden has come alive.

Poor Harry Maguire’s year gets worse. Scotland broke quickly after that overhit Bellingham cross, with Robertson on the right wing for some reason. He surged away from Trippier, into the area, and slid a low right-footed cross that was turned into his own net by Maguire at the near post. He had to go for the ball, but in doing so he wrongfooted Ramsdale.

Scotland are back in it!

67 min Bellingham overhits a cross that goes over the bar. England have lacked focus in attack since half-time.

65 min Hickey plays a nice give-and-go with McGinn, shifts the ball onto his left foot and drills a shot that is well blocked by the stretching Dunk. He’s also had a very good game.

64 min Christie shoots wide from 25 yards. He’s been quite bright since coming on.