English fans will breathe a sigh of relief as their national team narrowly escaped a huge upset against Slovakia in the round-of-16 tie of the UEFA Euro Cup 2024. Ivan Schranz helped Slovakia to a surprising lead in the first half. The Slovakians displayed brilliant courage and grit to hold on to the advantage for a long period. “We showed the character that England has missed in times before”, mentioned Jude Bellingham who was adjudged the Man of the Match.
The hard work, however, was undone by a blinder from Jude Bellingham, who scored an overhead kick, just a minute from the final whistle. Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, followed up with a splendid header in the early stages of extra time to seal the deal for England. Gareth Southgate’s side will be now up against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham step up for England
As is always the case in a major international tournament, individual quality is a required asset to tackle complicated situations. While the England squad was no stranger to individual talent, the stars failed to step up throughout the tournament. When it looked like England’s journey was all over, the star pair upfront amped up to complete the comeback. “Jude Bellingham’s goal is one of the best in England’s history”, were the words of the England captain praising the 21-year-old.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane enjoyed successful seasons outside the Premier League heading into the European Championship. The duo did not deliver their best performance by any means against Slovakia and there were calls for both of them to be replaced. Southgate, though, trusted his superstars who ended up saving the day for the Three Lions.
Concerns still prevail for Gareth Southgate
The memorable turnaround cannot overshadow the underwhelming display from England till almost the last minute of normal time. England failed to turn over the page from the group stages and executed a labored performance. Supporters are worried about the lack of solutions to the issues persisting from matchday one against Serbia.
The left flank has been fairly unproductive for England. Phil Foden and Kieran Trippier both tend to cut inside, thereby reducing the width of the left channel. It was no surprise that the goals came by when the pair was substituted by Gareth Southgate. Anthony Gordon and Luke Shaw might very well get the call to start the next game over Foden and Trippier.
