Jude Bellingham displayed significant frustration immediately following England`s disappointing 3-1 loss to Senegal.
The young midfielder, aged 22, struggled to control his emotions after the final whistle marked England`s initial defeat against an African opponent.
A late goal in the 93rd minute by Cheikh Sabaly sealed England`s fate, resulting in their first defeat under Thomas Tuchel`s management.
Bellingham, who came on as a substitute, believed he had equalised for England in the 83rd minute, making it 2-2. However, the goal was contentiously ruled out due to a handball by Levi Colwill.
This controversial decision towards the end of the match angered both the England players and Tuchel, especially as Colwill`s handball did not seem intentional.
Nevertheless, England`s performance wasn`t sufficient to secure a win. Fortunately for them, it was only a friendly match, and Tuchel`s record in World Cup qualifiers remains unblemished.
Bellingham`s frustration was evident as he kicked the ball high into the air when referee Stephanie Frappart signaled the end of the game at the City Ground.
The Real Madrid player proceeded to kick a water cooler near the dugout before heading towards the assistant referee.
Eventually, Captain Harry Kane intervened, guiding the former Birmingham midfielder back onto the field to de-escalate the situation.
However, the former Bundesliga standout wasn`t the only one upset by the call; Kane also suggested that the officials might have misunderstood the rules.
Despite his initial reaction, Bellingham seemed to regain his composure relatively quickly and notably gave his shirt to a young supporter before leaving the pitch.
This isn`t the first instance where the gifted midfielder has expressed his frustration by targeting objects near the pitch following a defeat.
A notable previous incident saw him kick a VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid suffered a defeat right at the end of the match against Valencia in April.
Although Bellingham started on the bench for Tuchel`s first friendly in charge of England, he was brought on with 19 minutes left when England were trailing 2-1.
Harry Kane initially gave the Three Lions the lead, but Ismaila Sarr and Habib Diarra scored to reverse the scoreline.
While the referee was reviewing Bellingham’s goal on the VAR screen, former Arsenal right-back Lee Dixon told ITV:
That was clearly not a deliberate handball. His arm twisted as he contested for the ball. I disagree with that ruling.
Ian Wright later added:
To disallow that goal is unbelievable.
Marcus Bellamy