Euro 2024: England leave it late against Slovakia
England 2 - 1 Slovakia
Jude Bellingham saved England from an early exit in Euro 2024 against Slovakia on Sunday with a breathtaking equaliser in the 95th minute.
Harry Kane then secured their place in the quarterfinals with a winner early in extra time, sealing a 2-1 victory.
Slovakia started the match much brighter and gave England several warnings before Ivan Schranz skillfully placed the ball past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 25th minute.
England, who will next face Switzerland, had a history of comebacks in their last three Euro matches where they conceded first, including the previous tournament's semifinal. They thought they had equalised shortly after the break, but Phil Foden was clearly offside before he tapped the ball into the net.
Kane, unusually, headed a Foden free kick wide, and Declan Rice hit the post as Slovakia were pushed deep into their own half. However, England seemed to lack confidence, and their fans grew increasingly frustrated.
Bellingham, celebrating his 21st birthday the previous day, brought England level with an astonishing bicycle kick in the dying moments, scoring with their first shot on target.
England are still in #EURO2024 (just...)https://t.co/5IqdqqBDjK after the match for more reaction. https://t.co/5O2TsTYaTQ
— European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) June 30, 2024
England were still in Euro 2024 (just...)
Clearly, England were lucky to still be in this competition but Bellingham is a special player and that was certainly a special moment from the Real Madrid player.
Less than a minute into extra time, Kane headed the ball past the despairing Martin Dúbravka from close range, completing a remarkable turnaround.
And... #England lead 2-1. https://t.co/5IqdqqB5uc https://t.co/T2ASyb7tCb
— European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) June 30, 2024
As the game progressed, Slovakia began to fade. They came closest to an equaliser just before the extra time break when Peter PekarÃk missed a dangerous cross, kneeing it over the bar.
England managed to fend off a late flurry of balls into the box, securing a hard-fought victory and setting up a quarterfinal clash with Switzerland in Düsseldorf on 6th July.
England will need to perform much better against the Swiss, who outplayed defending champions Italy in the last 16 and were unlucky to concede a late equaliser against Germany in the group stage.
Euro 2024 news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
Some of the best reaction
Liam, a Manchester United fan, said: "Jude Bellingham is the player who could potentially carry England through this tournament if we are going to achieve anything."
Olivia Taylor from Chorlton said: "You talk about performances, but at this level, it's about crossing the line and winning football matches. Yes, the performances are important, but consistently achieving results and progressing is crucial. We're still in the competition, and that's ultimately the main thing at this stage."
Mark from Preston provided some interesting tactical thoughts on his Facebook profile. He added: "In our next match, we have to play 5-3-2 or a 3-4-3 formation. Missing Guehi might make it difficult. We certainly can't play like that first half again, especially against this Switzerland side."
