England narrowly avoided an embarrassing last-16 exit at Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday, thanks to Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick and Harry Kane’s extra-time goal.
Hyped as one of the tournament favorites, England faced a potential exit after Ivan Schranz scored in the 25th minute. Bellingham’s inspired goal five minutes into stoppage time revitalized Gareth Southgate’s tenure as England manager. Kane then headed in a goal just a minute into extra time, securing a quarter-final matchup with Switzerland on Saturday.
“That’s the desire and the attitude from the boys. It looked tough for a second there but you keep going,” said Kane. “Jude does what Jude does and what an unbelievable goal.”
Southgate looked set to fall on his sword after steadfastly refusing to make changes to a side that stumbled through as winners of Group C despite scoring just two goals in three games.
Kobbie Mainoo was introduced for his first competitive start in Southgate’s only change and he paid the price with another lacklustre display lacking in any speed or invention for long spells.
“We want to be better,” said Southgate. “I’m not going to hide from that but the spirit and character was there for everybody to see and we’re still in there fighting.”
England’s group stage performances were bolstered by a solid makeshift defense, which conceded just one goal in three games. However, they struggled early against Slovakia, a team ranked 45th in the world. Despite early warnings from David Hancko and Lukas Haraslin, England failed to respond effectively. Slovakia capitalized on this, with David Strelec finding ample space to assist Ivan Schranz, who confidently scored past Jordan Pickford, marking his third goal of the tournament.
The half-time whistle was met with boos from the crowd, yet manager Gareth Southgate refrained from making substitutions until 25 minutes remained. England showed some improvement in the second half and even had the ball in the net within five minutes of the restart, only for Phil Foden’s goal from Kieran Trippier’s cross to be disallowed for offside following a VAR review.
Kane Seals Victory
Slovakia nearly doubled their lead shortly after their first goal when England lost possession. David Strelec, spotting Jordan Pickford off his line, attempted a long-range shot from the halfway line but missed the target. An injury to Kieran Trippier on 66 minutes forced Gareth Southgate to make a substitution, but England continued to struggle in creating chances.
Their situation seemed dire when Harry Kane headed wide from a prime opportunity and Declan Rice hit the post with a long-range shot. The frustration was palpable among England supporters, who jeered Southgate for bringing on Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing.”
However, the match took a dramatic turn when Jude Bellingham acrobatically converted Marc Guehi’s flick-on from a throw-in during the final moments of added time, leveling the score and sending the game into extra time.
“It’s a feeling that is like no other,” said Bellingham.
“You’re 30 seconds from going home and having to listen to all the rubbish and feeling like you’ve let a nation of people down. In 30 seconds or one kick of the ball everything can change.”
Slovakia were suddenly rattled, and Ivan Toney made a significant impact. The Brentford striker headed Eberechi Eze’s mishit shot back across goal for Harry Kane, who powered home his second goal of the tournament.
Slovakia had a chance to force the game into penalties when full-back Peter Pekarik failed to convert a dangerous driven cross from point-blank range.
Despite their struggles, England managed to secure their place in the quarter-final, where they will face an impressive Switzerland, who comfortably knocked out the holders, Italy, with a 2-0 victory on Saturday.
