By the skin of their teeth England squeeze through to the quarter-finals to face Switzerland

Martin Abgottspon

30.6.2024

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham save England from ignominy in the round of 16.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham save England from ignominy in the round of 16.
Imago

England also fail to impress against Slovakia in the round of 16. Only a goal in stoppage time prevented the worst. Now the co-favorites face Switzerland next Saturday.

England

Completed
2:1
(0:1)

Slovakia

  •  
  • Jude Bellingham - 1:1 (90.+5.)
  • Harry Kane - 2:1 (91.)
  • (25.) 0:1 - Ivan Schranz
  •  
  •  

And again the saying about the horse that only jumps as high as it has to was true for the English. This time, however, the horse touched the hurdle several times with both legs. Referee Halil Umut Meler granted the English six minutes of stoppage time, which they needed to avoid an early exit in the round of 16 against the number 45 team in the FIFA rankings.

Ivan Schranz gave Slovakia a deserved lead in the 25th minute with the help of an indisposed England defense. Up to that point and in the 50 minutes that followed, England once again failed to put much together in this tournament. Marc Guéhi, who was involved in conceding the goal, was also cautioned in the rough opening phase, a player who will be suspended for the quarter-final against Switzerland.

Powerless and lacking in energy until almost knocked out

It was only in the final quarter of an hour and a long time after Phil Foden's goal was disallowed for offside (50') that England, who were again without strength and energy for a long time, pressed for the equalizer with the necessary vehemence. First Harry Kane missed the target with a header (78') and Declan Rice hit the post from distance (81'). Then came Bellingham's overhead kick in the 95th minute.

"Saved by the Bell" it was once again. Especially as Harry Kane then woke up from a deep sleep and headed in from close range to make it 2-1 shortly after the start of extra time.

Switzerland will now face another heavyweight in the quarter-finals after their group opponents Germany (1:1). A heavyweight that has yet to impress in the tournament so far.

No concept, no fire

In the fourth game, England once again failed to bring their horsepower to the pitch, with Gareth Southgate sticking to his defensive philosophy at the fourth attempt. Once again, the highly talented team struggled without a visible concept and without fire, and once again they were shockingly harmless in attack for long stretches. This was another reason why England's elimination in the round of 16 was only logical and Slovakia's victory only half a sensation.

Was it the heavy burden that manifested itself on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen in the form of whistles from the home fans after less than half an hour that paralyzed the players? Or was it Southgate's destructive tactics? Or were the players too tired after an exhausting season? One thing is clear: if the most expensive team in the tournament performs in the same way next Saturday in Düsseldorf, Switzerland will have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals for the first time.

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  • 90. +

    Bellingham saves England in extra time with this dream goal

  • #

    The England starting eleven

  • #

    How Slovakia will start

  • 120.+2.
    End of 2nd half extra time
  • 114.
    Yellow card Slovakia

    Norbert Gyömbér

  • 109.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Lubomir Tupta

    Striker

  • 109.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    Peter Pekarík

    Defender

  • 108.
    Yellow card Slovakia

    Denis Vavro

  • 106.
    Substitution in England

    Conor Gallagher

    Midfielder

  • 106.
    Substitution out England

    Harry Kane

    Striker

  • 106.
    Substitution in England

    Ezri Konsa

    Defender

  • 106.
    Substitution out England

    Jude Bellingham

    Midfielder

  • 106.
    Kick-off 2nd half extra time
  • 105.+2.
    End of 1st half extra time
  • 91.
    Goal for England, 2:1 through Harry Kane (Ivan Toney)

    Harry Kane

    Striker

    Assist: Ivan Toney

    Striker

  • 91.
    Kick-off 1st half extra time
  • 90.+8.
    End of 2nd half
  • 90.+5.
    Goal for England, 1:1 through Jude Bellingham (Marc Guéhi)

    Jude Bellingham

    Midfielder

    Assist: Marc Guéhi

    Defender

  • 90.+4.
    Substitution in England

    Ivan Toney

    Striker

  • 90.+4.
    Substitution out England

    Phil Foden

    Midfielder

  • 90.+3.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Norbert Gyömbér

    Defender

  • 90.+3.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    Ivan Schranz

    Striker

  • 84.
    Substitution in England

    Eberechi Eze

    Midfielder

  • 84.
    Substitution out England

    Kobbie Mainoo

    Midfielder

  • 81.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Lászlo Bénes

    Midfielder

  • 81.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    Ondrej Duda

    Midfielder

  • 81.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Matúš Bero

    Midfielder

  • 81.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    Juraj Kucka

    Midfielder

  • 77.
    Yellow card Slovakia

    Peter Pekarík

  • 66.
    Substitution in England

    Cole Palmer

    Midfielder

  • 66.
    Substitution out England

    Kieran Trippier

    Defender

  • 62.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Róbert Boženík

    Striker

  • 62.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    David Strelec

    Striker

  • 61.
    Substitution in Slovakia

    Tomas Suslov

    Midfielder

  • 61.
    Substitution out Slovakia

    Lukáš Haraslín

    Striker

  • 46.
    Kick-off 2nd half
  • 45.+4.
    End of 1st half
  • 45.+2.
    Yellow card Slovakia

    Milan Škriniar

  • 25.
    Goal for Slovakia, 0:1 through Ivan Schranz (David Strelec)

    Ivan Schranz

    Striker

    Assist: David Strelec

    Striker

  • 17.
    Yellow card England

    Jude Bellingham

  • 13.
    Yellow card Slovakia

    Juraj Kucka

  • 7.
    Yellow card England

    Kobbie Mainoo

  • 3.
    Yellow card England

    Marc Guéhi

  • 1.
    Start of the match