Imagine if Gareth Southgate had gone through with his plan and sent off Jude Bellingham.
What Bellingham achieved in that moment of mesmerising magic is something Real Madrid fans have prized all season.
That’s why Southgate trusted his own judgement rather than calling for a change, even giving Bellingham a break.
The bicycle kick, the day after his 21st birthday, was Bellingham’s personal gift to the nation and saved their European Championship season.
Conor Gallagher watched the game from the substitute bench and said: “I was as excited as all the England fans. An incredible goal, an incredible moment.”
There are few more dramatic moments in England’s history than the equaliser in the match, the 95th minute that put the team in the tournament.
Then Harry Kane’s header in the first minute of extra time ensured a place in the quarter-finals.
But without Bellingham’s talent they would have packed their bags by now – and as he received the ball in the penalty area he felt the weight of responsibility.
“You have 30 seconds to go home and listen to this rubbish and feel like you’ve let the whole country down,” Bellingham said.
“And within 30 seconds, or with just one kick, everything can change. And it’s a feeling I never want to feel – I don’t like being there – but when it happens it feels so good.
“That’s why it’s a habit I picked up at Madrid. Obviously my game has improved a lot since I moved and I’m really grateful to be able to bring that into this game.”
Bellingham also scored a goal in the opening game to make it one. In the win against Serbia, also in Gelsenkirchen – Kane scored England’s only goal in a 1-1 draw with Denmark
In England’s final group game, a 0-0 draw with Slovenia, it was Bellingham and Kane who scored the only goals.
Unusually, this means that no player from a Premier League club has ever scored a goal for England. Kane currently plays for the newly crowned Spanish and European champions at Bayern Munich and Bellingham.
“You hear people talking a lot of rubbish”
Playing overseas has not dampened the Three Lions’ hopes that their wait for their first trophy since 1966 will end, nor has it dampened the outcry from critics.
“It feels great to play for England but it also means a lot of pressure,” Bellingham said.
“You hear people talking a lot of rubbish but it’s a lot of fun when you’re delivering.
This is why he appears to shout “Who else is there?” when celebrating a goal.
“Scoring a goal and celebrating is a relief for me,” he said. “Maybe it was a message to a few people.”
And Bellingham will hope that adrenaline will propel England into another final, despite still being a teenager and only playing a handful of games at Euro 2020.
For England, the pain of the penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final is still fresh, followed by a 2022 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
Their performance so far in Germany gives little reason to believe England are favourites to win the cup competitions ahead of the European Championships.
“The fans expect a lot from us, regardless of what has happened in recent tournaments,” Bellingham said.
“So people talk a lot but I think you have to take it a bit personally.
“We work hard for this game. We come here and practice hard every day to deliver a good performance for the fans.
“And sometimes things don’t go well and it all feels too much – yes, it’s not nice to say that, but it can always be used.
“And I think at times like these, it’s nice to give it back to somebody.
And as England look forward to playing Switzerland, they’ll be hoping that the determination that drove the comeback against Slovakia will be a game-changer for a team looking to emulate the women’s team and become European champions.
“Without the adversity of two draws or losing 1-0, you don’t go through this,” Bellingham said. “It’s great because it gets a response.”