England survived! Ivan Schranz’s goal gave Slovakia the lead in the 25th minute, and for the next 70 minutes, the 30-year-old was the only scorer. But then, in the 95th minute, the English diamond Jude Bellingham shone again, scoring an unbelievable overhead-kick goal to send the game to extra time. Two minutes were enough for Harry Kane to give the Three Lions the lead and book them a quarter-final ticket.England’s poor form angered the fans and the public in the homeland. Only one win in the group and only two goals scored were nowhere near the expectations. The pressure on Gareth Southgate and the players was immense, keeping the Slovakians’ hope alive. Although the underdog, Slovakia was ready to use the situation within the Three Lions and cause the biggest shock of the EURO 2024 so far. Despite the expectations and the persuasions, Southgate wanted to keep the starting lineup the same, giving a chance only to Man United’s Kobbie Mainoo and relying mainly on proven forces.It’s not how you start, it’s how you finishIn the initial quarter of an hour, both teams showed what was expected of them. Slovakia was brave, believing they could win, while the Englishmen were more nervous than usual. The Slovak Falcons had two chances through Dávid Hancko, who shot wide, and Lukáš Haraslín, whose strike was blocked by Marc Guéhi. Crystal Palace defender was one of the two England players who had been booked already in the first seven minutes, along with Mainoo. The yellow card festival continued with bookings for Juraj Kucka in the 13th and Jude Bellingham in the 17th minute.The 23rd minute brought the first so-so chance for England when Harry Kane’s header was deflected for a corner. However, only two minutes later, Slovakia got the lead! Ivan Schranz got the ball in the box, and cooly sent the ball home past Jordan Pickford, who injured his finger during the warm-up but was still able to play. This was the Slavia Prague forward’s third goal at EURO 2024, with which he caught up with Jamal Musiala and Georges Mikautadze at the top of the goal-scoring list. Milan Škriniar’s yellow card and Mainoo’s deflected shot in the added time were the only things worth mentioning in the remaining part of the first half. England controlled the possession and had six shots, but none of them went on target. As a matter of fact, Schranz’s strike, which found the net, was the only shot on target in the first 45 minutes.Surprisingly or not, Southgate once more opted for the same team, not making a single substitution at the break. Five minutes into the second half, Phil Foden scored after Kieran Trippier’s cross, but Halil Umut Meler disallowed the goal due to offside. Denis Vavro deflected Kane’s shot from inside the area two minutes later. In the 55th minute, we almost saw a goal of the tournament. David Strelec got the ball after Bellingham’s sloppy free kick and shot from the centre circle. It went over Pickford but rolled just wide.England continued making the pressure without a clear idea of breaking the deadlock. In the 63rd minute, Trippier clutched his right leg after a duel with Peter Pekarík and couldn’t stay on the pitch. And when everyone expected Luke Shaw, Southgate subbed Cole Palmer in, moving Bukayo Saka to the left-back?! The Three Lions focused mainly on crosses, but all of them were easy prey for tall Slovakian centre-backs.Thirteen minutes before the end, Pekarík was booked, and England got a free kick. Foden sent a perfect cross to the box, but Kane unexpectedly sent it wide. Only four minutes later, Declan Rice had the best chance for England in the game, hitting the left post from around 23 meters. Six minutes before the end, Eberechi Eze entered the pitch for Mainoo. On the other hand, Slovakian manager Francesco Calzona felt that his team’s energy was not good enough and thus tried to refresh his squad with several substitutions.Yamal finishes high-school while playing at EUROEngland kept playing around the Slovakian box, and when it seemed that we would attend the tournament’s biggest surprise, Bellingham scored the absolute screamer! Kyle Walker hurled the ball into the box from a long throw, Guehi flicked it, and Real’s youngster met it with a tremendous bicycle kick, sending the game to extra time! As it usually happens, the late goal completely shocked Slovakia, which conceded another one only two minutes after the break. Eze sent the ball into the area. Ivan Toney, who entered the pitch in the added time, headed it for Kane, who nodded it in. This goal was a wake-up call for Slovakia, but the occasional attacks were nowhere near good enough. In the last minute of the first extra-time period, Pekarík turned it over from close range, missing one of the last chances for the Slovakians.The Three Lions’ manager opted to defend the result, so he subbed Ezri Konsa and Conor Gallagher in for the two scorers – Kane and Bellingham. Seeing those substitutions, England’s plan was clear – to give over the possession to the Slovakians and defend the lead. Truth be said, the Slovak Falcons tried to attack and put pressure on the opponents’ defence, but they had no calmness, energy, or concentration to find the net. England will face Switzerland in the quarter-final and it will be interesting to see whether this hard-won victory can wake up the Englishmen, because another performance like this could mean the elimination.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/8 FINALSSaturdaySwitzerland – Italy 2-0 (1-0)/Freuler 37, Vargas 46/Germany – Denmark 2-0 (0-0)/Havertz 53 pen, Musiala 68/SundayEngland – Slovakia 2-1 (0-1) AET/Bellingham 90+5, Kane 91 – Schranz 25/22.00: (1.25) Spain (6.50) Georgia (15.0)Monday19.00: (1.95) France (3.40) Belgium (4.70)22.00: (1.43) Portugal (4.75) Slovenia (9.10)Tuesday19.00: (8.25) Romania (4.30) Netherlands (1.50)22.00: (1.95) Austria (3.50) Turkey (4.50)***odds are subject to change***
