By Katie Catherall
Jude Bellingham has admitted that he and his England teammates are 'tired' after progressing to their second-successive European Championship final.
The Three Lions delivered a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday to secure their place in the tournament final, with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins coming off the bench and popping up with a 90th-minute winner following first-half goals from Xavi Simons and Harry Kane.
Watkins surprisingly came on in place of first-choice striker and captain Kane, but delivered a game-changing goal to catapult England to the final, where they will now face Spain in Berlin.
But speaking straight after Wednesday's semi-final in Dortmund, Real Madrid star Bellingham warned that the squad are feeling the effects of difficult and enduring seasons at club level.
"We are tired, it has been a long season," Bellingham told BBC Radio 5 Live. "But this is one last push for our country and for history.
"We told you last time we live to fight another day. Another late goal, but it would be nice to score first and have that peace of mind. When they scored the first goal I didn't think we were playing badly, it was a good finish to be fair.
"I am really proud of the boys. The reaction, attitude and mentality. Quality is one thing, but those characteristics you cannot learn in training - you get it from experience and each other."
Bellingham came into Euro 2024 off the back of a 42-game season with Madrid, and England will finish the tournament having played seven matches this summer.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Jude Bellingham admits England are 'tired' ahead of Euro 2024 final.
