Former Manchester United and Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi believes Jude Bellingham never recovered mentally from an early moment in England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Argentina secured a dramatic 2-1 win over England in Atlanta on Wednesday, booking their place in the final against Spain.
Match Overview
Anthony Gordon put England ahead on 55 minutes in a tightly contested match. However, England then retreated, allowing Argentina to dominate the final half hour. Enzo Fernandez equalised on 85 minutes, and in stoppage time, Lionel Messi's cross found substitute Lautaro Martinez, who headed past Jordan Pickford to seal victory.
Rossi's Analysis of Bellingham
England's star players, Bellingham and Harry Kane, were quiet in the defeat. Rossi, writing on X, pointed to an early incident involving Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes. 'Let's remember this…many of you think I'm crazy for saying this but in my opinion it made a huge difference,' Rossi wrote. 'The first ball Bellingham touched, Paredes pushes him over very late after he releases the ball. Right there is where Jude never came back to the game mentally… The mind game worked and Jude was a non factor all game, worrying more about the off ball stuff rather than focused on his work.'
Rossi added: 'The game isn't won only because you're bigger and faster. At these levels especially, it's a psychological battle and Argentina are masters at it.'
Bellingham's Reaction
After the match, Bellingham expressed his disappointment. 'I think we can take a lot from the experience, but it's so gutting,' he said. 'I wanted to be part of an England squad that's finally done it, finally got it over the line. To be here telling the fans unfortunately the same things that they've probably heard for years and years, it's really gutting.'
Post-Match Incident
Bellingham's frustrations boiled over at the final whistle, with Argentina's unused substitute Valentin Barco running onto the pitch to celebrate Fernandez's equaliser in front of England players. Bellingham appeared to clip Barco around the back of the head, though the reason remains unclear.
