England’s hopes looked lost as they went into the closing moments against Slovakia, with even their own fans reduced to subdued silence by the lack of quality and inspiration they had been forced to witness.
Southgate and his players will have known what awaited them had Slovakia closed out a win that would surely have left the manager at the end of his reign and England nowhere to go other than to make a bitterly disappointing retreat from Germany.
Bellingham, whose own poor performances and demeanour have come under scrutiny after England’s draws against Denmark and Slovenia in Group C, then illustrated why is regarded as a new young superstar of the game with an audacious, acrobatic piece of individuality.
Kane finished off the job with a trademark poacher’s finish and the supporters who were bracing themselves to turn on players and manager were then celebrating the most unlikely - plenty would say undeserved - triumph.
England and Southgate will hope Bellingham’s goal will prove to be a tournament-turning moment and finally ignite a campaign which had not got off the ground – and rarely showed any signs of doing so here.
And, to bring England back to reality, it was not an encounter that would leave an impressive Switzerland with any terrors as they prepare for the quarter-final.
Amid some stiff competition, England’s first 45 minutes were their worst of Euro 2024 as they were horribly vulnerable at the back, chaotic in all areas of the pitch and lacking threat up front.
The introduction of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer enlivened England, once again raising questions about Southgate’s decision not to start him after his impressive cameo against Slovenia and to only make one change as he brought in Kobbie Mainoo for Conor Gallagher.
England and Southgate will have plenty to ponder once the celebrations and the dust settles on this hair-raising escape from humiliation - because that is exactly what it was.
