West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen had always dreamt of scoring his first England goal and on Sunday night, his dreams came true.
The 27-year-old came on as a 75th-minute substitute with England firmly in control against ten-man Republic of Ireland, leading the visitors 3-0.
And just 30 seconds after his arrival to the pitch, latching onto Jude Bellingham’s free-kick, Bowen delightfully swept the ball home with his first touch of the UEFA Nations League Group B2 fixture, helping his country secure automatic promotion to League A.
“It was perfect, it’s something I’ve dreamt of,” he said, speaking to ITV after the game. “I’ve had goals disallowed, one cleared off the line playing for England. It was always on my mind.
“It's one of the things that when you finish your career, you want to tell your grandkids, tell your kids that you’ve scored for England. That was the main thing on my mind.
“I wasn’t named in the squad, I knew as soon as the manager called me to come in, it was an honour to be called up. I had a slight feeling that this could be the camp where I score a goal.
“I was actually meant to take the free-kick. Ashley Cole said ‘you take the free-kick and pull it front post’. I got on the pitch and H [Harry Kane] and Jude [Bellingham] had other ideas and it worked perfectly.
“It was one of those where as soon as it left my boot, I knew it was a good contact. I looked up and saw it go in, but even then it’s not clear, I was thinking if this referee checks it for VAR, but no, the goal was confirmed. The stuff of dreams really.
“Playing here for your country at Wembley is the pinnacle. I had all my family here as well, so for them to share that moment with me, it’s a very special night.”
Jarrod Bowen:
Touches - 1
Goals - 1 #ITVFootball | #ENGIRL pic.twitter.com/KYYYvsCPmN— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 17, 2024
The 5-0 thrashing of Ireland was Lee Carsley’s last match in interim charge of the Three Lions, with Thomas Tuchel set to take over the reins in the New Year, and Bowen was full of praise for the departing boss.
He added: “He [Carsley] has been brilliant with me. He didn’t name me in the squad, but I know the nature of this, the quality that we’ve got in attacking areas is the highest it’s probably ever been, so I know I’ve got competition.
“As soon as he called me, it was an honour. It wasn’t one of those where ‘you’ve left me out in the first place, I don’t want to come’. For me, I’ll always fight. It will always be an honour to be selected for your country and that was my mindset coming into it.”
