Bellingham likely to become England's next superstar

AL KHOR, Qatar, Dec 05 (Agencies): Harry Kane fired England into a quarterfinal showdown against France on a night when teenage superstar Jude Bellingham produced one of the best midfield performances of the tournament.

Captain Kane struck home the second in England's 3-0 win against Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium to effectively end the resistance of the enterprising but ultimately outmatched African side.

But it was Bellingham, 19, who was the chief architect, setting up both of the first two goals to show why Real Madrid is reportedly willing to spend more than $100 million to pry him away from German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.

"He's going to be a superstar that kid, the word we keep saying, maturity, it's like he's played 100 times for England," said Roy Keane at half-time on ITV 's coverage of the match. Keane is not a pundit prone to overexcitement - and he was absolutely right.

After a somewhat sluggish opening, Bellingham received the ball on the left flank in the 38th minute, took off running, then slid a perfect pass inside that was met by the fast-advancing Jordan Henderson, who made no mistake.

Henderson, now 32, has become firm friends with his young colleague during this tournament, and spoke publicly during the week about Bellingham's maturity and soccer intelligence. After his composed finish, Henderson immediately sought out the teenager, slung an arm around his shoulders and pointed a finger to show his appreciation for the lead-up work.

Bellingham showed his composure again for the second just before halftime. His through ball was once again perfectly weighted and set up the kind of opportunity that Kane rarely spurns.

Kane took his time before powering his effort past Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy to ease English nerves and book a date with old rival France at the same venue next Saturday.

Senegal was not without opportunities despite the absence of key forward Sadio Mané, ruled out through injury just before the tournament. Boulaye Dia put a shot on target midway through the first half that Jordan Pickford did well to bat away.

In the end though, the African side struggled to match its higher-caliber opponent. Bukayo Saka got England's third on 57 minutes after a fine cross from Phil Foden, that pair starting in place of Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, the latter of whom was unavailable due to a family issue.

Bellingham received a warm hug and words of encouragement from head coach Gareth Southgate when he was replaced by Mason Mount after 75 minutes, with the game firmly in the bag.

"The talk will all be about Jude Bellingham," former England defender Matt Upson told the BBC. "He led the charge by playing freely and confidently right from the first whistle. I just love his energy and what he brings to the game. He's been outstanding for England so far in this tournament."

The substitution was a forward-thinking move, as Saturday's duel with France now looms large. As a battle between old soccer enemies - and as one of the most anticipated games of the tournament.

Meanwhile, he's the first player to score a goal and provide an assist at a World Cup before turning 20 years old since Lionel Messi in 2006. He's the youngest player to provide two assists in one World Cup game since Ronaldo in 1998.

The 19-year-old has been called "one of the greatest talents in European football" and it could take €150million to prise him from his current club, Borussia Dortmund.

Mbappe used the 2018 World Cup to show that he was no longer a boy but a man. Bellingham has done the exact same thing. The France forward delivered the World Cup that year, lets's see what the England midfielder can do in the remainder of the tournament.

His impact saw him become the first teenager to assist in a World Cup knockout stage game for England since 1966. There was a nice contrast with his teammate too: remarkably, at 32 years old, Henderson became England's second-oldest ever World Cup scorer, after Tom Finney against USSR in 1958.