More reaction and analysis
Jude Bellingham’s bon mot is a good note on which to end this blog. I’ll leave you with David Hytner’s match report. Thanks for your company and emails. Night!
Jude Bellingham was asked after the game, ‘Who writes your scripts?’
“I do.”
Gareth Southgate's reaction
It’s one of those classic England nights where we put everybody through the mill, isn’t it?! They’re a good team. It took us a long time to work out how to get through their pressure. You’ve got to be patient to do that and there’s anxiety in the stadium when you’re behind. In the second half we did that better. The players who came on made a difference. But in the end we were relying on a long throw to be the moment. When you’ve pushed as hard as that and the opponents are out on their feet, those things can happen.
[On Jude Bellingham’s goal] That’s him. With 15 minutes to go you’re thinking, ‘He’s absolutely out on his feet. Should we take him off?’ But you know the sort of impact he can have. Those moments are why you stick with him. The top players affect the big games when you really need them. That’s the mentality he has.
It’s strange but I never felt tonight would be the end of our tournament. Even with the long throw, there’s hope that something could happen. I think Ivan Toney was pretty disgusted when I put him on with a minute to go! I think we’ve made up now, and he had a big impact with the second goal as well. I understand his frustration – he could have gone on and not touched the ball – but I just had the feeling he could cause the bit of chaos that happened.
I’m not sure the attack was the problem. We couldn’t play through their pressure. That has been a problem for us for quite a while. We were better second half: Declan dropped outside the block a little bit and it meant they had to try and press four rather than three. We were too narrow in the first half. The solutions were wide but then we struggled to connect from there. Look, we know that in the first half we were too slow moving the ball.
In the second half we showed the composure to keep probing and keep moving the ball. I think a draw in normal time was probably fair.
We’ll have to assess everybody before the quarter-final. It’s a very good team we’re playing against; they’ve shown that for quite a while. We’ve got time to assess everybody, and the lift that will give everyone emotionally is huge. Their character has been questioned quite a bit. There’s some character in there.
I’ve been involved in enough England games to know that nights like tonight have everyone on the edge of the sofa and behind the sofa and over the sofa That’s what makes international football so special.
👏 "I never felt tonight would be the end of our tournament"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
💬 "Ivan Toney was pretty disgusted when I brought him on with a minute to go"
🔊 Gareth Southgate spoke to @GabrielClarke05 after #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/hJPCF45u57
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Ivan Toney, who had a big impact from the bench, reacts to England’s win
Massive win, massive win. In the end we deserved it for our never-say-die attitude. Jude doing what he does and then H doing what he does.
Jude’s where he is for a reason. He’s capable of things like that, he does it in training. I expected it from him.
You have to be ready, you don’t know where your chance will come. I was in the right place to flick it back to where H was. We literally spoke about that before the game kicked off.
This should kickstart us now. The performances aren’t quite there but we’re getting results. One game at a time.
"We literally spoke about that before the start of the game!"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Ivan Toney on assisting Harry Kane for @England's winner against Slovakia #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/CZBSWpiu43
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“I was in Italy this morning,” says Max Williams. “Holiday organised last month. Realised with horror the return flight clashed with this match. Couldn’t change so after some agonising reluctantly booked an earlier one. Then got stung for oversized luggage at the airport. Then spent an hour wanting to cry.
“Worth every penny.”
Slovakia reaction: 'Maybe we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives'
First their coach Francesco Calzona
We played on par basically with England, we almost qualified. We were very nearly there, unfortunately things went the way they did. I’m very proud to see this team do so well, the other team sending on defenders to preserve their result.
And then their goalscorer Ivan Schranz
It’s my third goal of the tournament, but so what? It could have been beautiful, great, but we lost out at the last moment.
But we certainly have nothing to be angry about. We’ll deal with it, but maybe we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives. We may not get another chance like this to rewrite history ...
Declan Rice talks to BBC Sport
I cannot describe the feeling resenting England. European Championship round of 16 you look up at the clock and you think ‘we could be going home here’.
There are players saying to each other one minute to go and there is that inner fight and spirit in us. We have got that togetherness tonight, we would do anything to protect this manager. Keep going and keep fighting, it is an honour to be a part of it – we are going to keep going.
[On Jude Bellingham’s goal] It is crazy because if that was me that was going over the bar! It was a big moment for 21 years old, that takes a lot of guts.
People don’t understand what you have to go through to get over the line. We are not playing against invisible men. They are top footballers, they kept going after us. It is about waiting for those moments as the game got stretched we created more.
The fans tonight I cannot speak highly enough of them. So grateful they are all here to experience that.
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Parish notice England’s quarter-final against Switzerland in Dusseldorf kicks off at 5pm BST next Saturday. The winners will then play Slovenia/Netherlands/Austria/Turkey in the semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday 10 July.
Thanks Michael, hello again. Before we return to all things England, Spain are playing Georgia in the last 16. You can follow that game with Sarah Rendell.
Rob is back from his break. I’m off for a lie down. Cheers!
An email from David Wall: “I’m probably in a minority but i have little sympathy for Slovakia. They were excellent for 25 minutes then, after their goal, incredibly unambitious. They tried nothing, just planned to defend for the next 70 minutes. unfortunately for them they could only manage 69 minutes. If they continued to attack they would likely have scored again and won the game”.
Personally, I certainly don’t think Slovakia deserved to lose this game. But that’s the beauty of football. It’s a cruel, beautiful game.
“It’s Coming Home”, emails Peter Oh. “On a bicycle”.
95 - Jude Bellingham's equaliser was England's latest ever goal in normal time at the UEFA European Championship (94:34), and was netted with his side's first shot on target in the match. Cometh. #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/J1kEOC84X6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 30, 2024
Jude Bellingham talks to the media in his post-match press conference:
In general I thought it was a good performance. The main thing though was that we showed character. You don’t experience things like that if don’t go 1-0 down.
Playing for England should be one of the most proud things of a footballer’s career. Often it’s quite difficult. There’s a lot of pressure. You don’t have to take it personally. Sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a pile on.
It’s hard to deny that it’s one of the most important moments of my career so far. We were 20 or 30 seconds from going out of the European Championship.
The fun doesn’t stop. Spain v Georgia promises to be another ripsnorter. Join Sarah Rendell here, with kick-off imminent.
David Hytner's match report
Who else? Jude Bellingham mouthed the words during the wild goal celebrations and it was a good point well made. It simply had to be Bellingham, England’s golden boy, rescuing the team, the nation and surely Gareth Southgate, too, with an act of comic book brilliance just as all seemed lost.
Schadenfreude, for your viewing pleasure.
Analysis from some of the England fans leaving the stadium early. pic.twitter.com/0TDzcbdl1x
— Tyrone Francis (@TJFrancisLive) June 30, 2024
Hi everyone. Harry Kane speaks to the cameras.
Jude Bellingham is of the best in our country’s history. What a player he is. He works so hard. In the big moments he steps up. He did that today.
In this competition you have to find a way to win. This team knows how to dig deep. We could have played better. But ultimately it’s a results business. Hopefully we can take that momentum further.
Jude Bellingham’s 95th-minute goal is comfortably England’s latest equaliser (in normal time) at a major tournament. At Italia 90 Gary Lineker equalised after 80 minutes against West Germany in the semi-final and 83 against Cameroon in the quarters.
I’m going to take an overdue screen break. Michael Butler will bring you the reaction for the next 10 or 15 minutes.
England have made history: on Saturday, for the first time, they will play their fourth successive quarter-final at a major tournament.
Marc Guehi will be suspended for that game after receiving his second yellow card. He looks spent as he is embraced by Gareth Southgate, who is hugging all his players. Southgate is relief personified right now.
It’s kicking off after the final whistle, with Declan Rice and the Slovakia manager involved. Toney plays peacemaker and it soon peters out. I think the Slovakia manager pushed Rice as he walked over to the referee.
Full time: England 2-1 Slovakia (AET)
England will play Switzerland in the quarter-final of Euro 2024 after the mother, father and extended family of all scares.
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120+1 min Toney’s performance deserves a goal. He almost gets it, too, whistling a shot just over the bar after a three-on-three break.
119 min Hancko, off balance and under pressure, heads a deep cross well wide. England are nearly in the quarter-finals.
118 min “Straight to Hell you are bound,” says Damian Clarke. “Just imagine, being free to proffer your opinion. You journalists should know that you have to please all the people all the time. Sort yourself out, mate.”
Some of the abuse we receive is wearying, and the incremental impact over 20 years has been far greater than I would have ever thought possible. It’s high time people realised that some journalists are human beings too!
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117 min Play continues even though two balsl are on the pitch. Bozenik screws a cross on the turn into the side netting.
116 min Guehi concedes a corner. England are doing this the hard way. Benes, whose left foot has about eight degrees, curls an inswinger that is headed away well by Toney.
114 min Toney holds the ball up well and is fouled by Gyomber. He’s booked. Toney has been quietly superb since coming on. Unlike many more experienced teammates, he hasn’t looked remotely nervous.
114 min “If we hold on,” says Max Williams, “is Toney at 94 mins the best sub in football history?”
Hastily rewriting this old favourite.
113 min Another very dangerous cross from Benes just clears a Slovakia player and is booted away desperately at the far post by Walker. In truth England haven’t managed extra-time brilliantly. A better and/or more confident team would have finished a weary Slovakia by half-time. But they are where they are, and they could have been on their way home by now.
112 min “Hey Jude,” says Colum Fordham, “take a sad team and make it better.”
112 min We’ve still had only four shots on target in the whole match, two apiece.
111 min Tupta’s free-kick clears the bar, and Pickford had it covered anyway.
110 min Gallagher fouls Tupta 25 yards from goal. He got the slighest touch on the ball, though not enough to satisfy the referee. This might be Slovakia’s best chance to equalise…
109 min: Slovakia substitution Lubomir Tupta replaces Petar Pekarik.
108 min Vavro is booked for a brutal bobbycheck on Eze. Bodycheck, sorry.
106 min England have gone back to 4-2-3-1: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Konsa; Gallagher, Rice; Saka, Palmer, Eze; Toney.
Double substitition for England Ezri Konsa and Conor Gallagher replaces the goalscorers, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
“Slightly baffled by your commentary which suggests Southgate would have been “unfairly” maligned by the media when England got dumped out after a dreadful four games, only to immediately criticise him for bringing on a sub with 90 seconds to go - and now not subbing fresh legs for extra time,” says Ed Kay. “Regardless of the pros and cons of the teams he’s selected it’s exactly this kind of clueless, passive non-management during the games that he should rightfully be criticised for. And I don’t think two minutes of goalscoring in this game should in any way exempt him from that.”
I think I said ‘unfairly slaughtered’, which is different to maligned. But whatever happens it’s my opinion – and we should remember this is a live blog, not a judicial review – that the balance of criticism towards the players and manager is all wrong. Slightly baffling, you might say.
Half time in extra time: England 2-1 Slovakia
“Better to be lucky than good…” sniggers Roy Keane on ITV.
105+2 min This game reminds me a little bit of the Cameroon quarter-final at Italia 90: late equaliser and tactical anarchy in extra-time. Back then it was Trevor Steven at right-back and Mark Wright up front. Tonight it’s Eze and Saka at wing-back.
105 min: Chance for Slovakia! England are asking for trouble here. Bozenik gets to the byline and plays the ball back to Benes, who whacks a fantastic first-time cross towards Pekarik at the far post. Eze, the emergency wing-back, gets the slightest touch on the ball a split-second before Pekarik volleys over.
104 min Saka goes down in the area but the referee isn’t interested. Quite right too: it was just a coming together.
103 min “Ah, nuts,” says Matt Dony. “It’s coming home, isn’t it?”
102 min Not sure about these tactics from England, who are basically defending on the edge of their own penalty area. Instinct says Slovakia have nothing left, but a passive approach from England is their best chance of finding something.
101 min “Kane can celebrate and all,” says David Wall, “but if he’d done that a minute earlier we’d not have to sit nervously though another half an hour of extra time.”
100 min Hancko’s cross is too close to Pickford, who claims comfortably. Slovakia’s players look spent, physically and emotionally. They were so close to making history.
99 min Lots of Slovakia possession now. England need to be careful they don’t allow them back into the game by dropping too deep. They really should be trying to put this to bed as soon as possible.
97 min Ivan Toney wins a free-kick from Gyomber, which allows England to get up the pitch. He’s been good since coming on, and his assist for the second goal was really quick-witted. I humbly apologise for questioning the decision to bring him on so late in the day.
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95 min Kane is surprised to be penalised for a foul on Skriniar, not sure why. I wonder whether Southgate will make a defensive substitution and revert to a back four; the problem is that Luke Shaw isn’t fit. You could bring Joe Gomez on for Saka maybe, although it might be better to give Rice more support in midfield because Slovakia are getting on the ball now. MAKE SOME SUBS GARETH.
93 min England are now playing three at the back, with Eze and Saka as wing-backs. This is the formation
England (3-3-2-2) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi; Saka, Rice, Eze; Palmer, Bellingham; Kane, Toney.
Harry Kane has scored after 52 seconds of extra-time. Palmer’s free-kick was punched away to the edge of the D, where Eze volleyed into the ground. Toney diverted a really clever header across the area, and Kane reacted quickest to head emphatically past Dubravka from five yards.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? 😱
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Harry Kane puts England in the lead at the beginning of extra time 🏴#Euro2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/knUPc2gabI
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GOAL! England 2-1 Slovakia (Kane 91)
England equalised in the 95th minute and now they’ve taken the lead in the 91st!
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91 min Extra-time begins, and within seconds…
It’s heartbreaking for Slovakia, who were 90 seconds away from reaching their first quarter-final at a major tournament. It will be so hard for them to go again in extra-time, especially after defending so intensely throughout the second half.
By the way, this is the team England finished normal time with. They have three substitutions left.
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Saka; Rice; Palmer, Bellingham, Eze; Toney, Kane.
This is why you leave the best young player in the world on a football field
UNBELIEVABLE 🤩
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Jude Bellingham pulls out an overhead kick to save England in the dying moments 🏴#EURO2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/px4qLzJQoq
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“Anthony Gordon must be so relieved,” says Peter Oh, “that Jude Bellingham’s bicycle has taken the spotlight off his own bike exploits!”
End of 90 mins: England 1-1 Slovakia
England are still in Euro 2024 thanks to another demonstration of Jude Bellingham’s multi-generational talent. They looked dead and buried when suddenly he slammed a scissor kick past Dubravka in the fifth minute of added time.
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90+6 min That was England’s first shot on target. Bellingham has been poor for most of the tournament, but truly great players have a force of personality that allows them to produce moments like that when their team is on the brink.
England have saved themselves! Walker’s long throw was headed on at the near post by Guehi, and Bellingham snapped a wonderful overhead kick past Dubravka from 10 yards. Wow.
GOAL! England 1-1 Slovakia (Bellingham 90+5)
Why won’t Gareth Southgate have the courage to take Jude Bellingham off?
Updated
90+4 min: England substitution Ivan Toney replaces Phil Foden with about 90 seconds to go. This I don’t understand.
90+3 min: Slovakia substitution Norbert Gyomber replaces the goalscorer Ivan Schranz.
90+1 min Eze spins his man nicely a nd wins a corner off Pekarik. He takes it himself and Dubravka punches clear.
90 min England are six added minutes away from humiliation. Slovakia are six minutes away from making history.
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88 min Palmer plays a terrific pass to the underlapping Foden, whose cutback is put behind by the wheezing Lobotka. He and Skriniar hbave been marvellous in the second half, putting out fires all the time.
87 min England look beaten. Lobotka has a pop from 25 yards that is comfortably saved by Pickford.
86 min This is such a sad way for a brilliant era to end, and Gareth Southgate will be unfairly slaughtered by the media (even though I think he’s had a really bad today). It’s gone full circle, right back to Iceland and all that.
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85 min “Jeez mate, you always get the fuzzy end of the OBO/MBM lollipop, don’t you?” says Robert Wilson. “I’m stuck between gentle tears and writing the pitch for the inevitable rueful sitcom. Either way, it’s giggle. What kind of legal representation you got?”
Now probably isn’t the time for a Mike Strutter clip is it.
84 min: England substitution Ebere Eze for Kobbie Mainoo. I guess that means Foden will move infield.
83 min “Ah Gareth,” says Niall Mullen, “quiet quitting is soooo 2021.”
And the award for email of the day goes to…
82 min: Double substitution for Slovakia Laszlo Benes and Matus Bero replace Juraj Kucka, who really should have been off 25 minutes ago, and Ondrej Duda.
81 min: Rice hits the post! Still no shot on target, but that was so close. Rice whipped an excellent, surprise shot from 25 yards that bounced up to hit the left-hand post, and the off balance Kane put the rebound over the bar.
80 min More huff, more puff, but still no shots on target. And still no second substitution.
78 min: Glorious chance for Kane! Foden curls a beautiful free-kick from the left. Kane meets it, eight yards out, and heads this far wide of the near post.
At first it looked an awful miss for a finisher of his class. Replays show the ball was slightly behind him, which upgrades it to merely a bad miss.
77 min Pekarik is booked for booting someone.
76 min I can’t fathom how mediocre England have been in attack at Euro 2024 – it’s now four hours since their last goal. It makes no sense, and I don’t subscribe to the view that it’s all Gareth Southgate’s fault either.
75 min “Gordon now,” writes Hugh Molloy, five minutes ago. I’m very surprised how passive Gareth Southgate has been today. Maybe he has gone back to the collective responsibility of Euro 96.
74 min Here’s Simon McMahon on the subject of wine. “The Apfelwein is popular here, Rob. ‘A tart, sour taste’, according to Wikipedia. England fans can add their own punchline.”
73 min Skriniar heads away another cross from Bellingham. He has been increasingly immense in the second half, when Slovakia have been under relentless pressure.
71 min “I’ve been impressed by Slovakia’s depth of talent,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Haraslin and Strelec have been very good, and most mid-ranking teams would keep them on the pitch as long as possible. It’s therefore impressive that Calzona can replace them with Bozenik and Suslov, who’ve been equally good to them at these Euros.”
I’ve really enjoyed them throughout the tournament. They look so well coached.
70 min Palmer threads a terrific low pass to Bellingham in the area. He takes a touch but then slips! It wouldn’t have been a clear chance as he was moving away from goal.
Palmer has already brought composure and penetration in attack.
70 min Blimey, there’s been only one shot on target in the whole game. At the moment England don’t look like changing that.
69 min “Anyone fancy a pint of wine?” says Damian Clarke, quoting my earlier question. “Already on my third FFS.”
That’s a stein mate.
68 min Play continues even though Duda is down. Palmer’s cross is headed behind by Skriniar, who then complains to the referee. Duda is fine.
67 min “Sitting on my porch with the World Service, taking deep cleansing breaths,” writes Liz White. “The one thing I’m thankful for is the summer vacation started on Friday so whatever happens, I won’t have to face my students’ (somewhat respectful) stick at recess. They’re all Ronaldo fans. Happy Canada Day weekend!”
And congratulations to Canada for emerging from their Copa America group, even if it did look almost as dull as England’s.
66 min How the hell did it come to this?
66 min: England substitution Cole Palmer comes on for the limping Trippier, which means Bukayo Saka is going to left-back. My word, he has barely played there in the last three years. Desperate times. It’s gone full Italia 90.
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65 min Kucka kicks Rice in the shin and is penalised. He could have been given a second yellow card for that as well.
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64 min I take it back, Pekarik got the ball and only caught Trippier with his follow through.
63 min Pekarik flattens Trippier and is also lucky not to be booked. The referee hasn’t had a great game. Trippier is still down…
63 min Anyone fancy a pint of wine?
62 min: Double substitution for Slovakia Tomas Suslov and Robert Bozenik replace David Strelec and Lukas Haraslin, who faded after a blistering start.
61 min Foden’s free-kick hits the wall. I still can’t work out why Kucka wasn’t given a second yellow card for that. He went to ground and fouled a player right on the edge of the area; that’s a greater offence than most of the bookings in the first half.
59 min Mainoo dances past Kucka and is fouled on the edge of the area. Kucka, who was booked in the first half, is exceptionally fortunate to stay on the field.
58 min “Even when England get the ball in the net, they do something ridiculous,” says Beau Dure. “Not even sure why anyone celebrated. That wasn’t close.”
Not in comparison to Joachim Andersen’s last night, but I’d say it was still pretty close.
57 min Most of the game is taking place in the Slovakia half now. Slovakia need to find ways to get out because it will be a long 45 minutes if it continues like this. The match against Belgium had a similar pattern and they just about held on.
55 min: Strelec almost scores from the halfway line! That would have been one of the great comedy goals. Walker took a free-kick and rolled the ball square to Stones. He let it run across his body and Strelec was onto it in a flash. With Pickford standing on the edge of his area, Strelec launched a first-time shot that went over his head and bounced just wide of the far post.
54 min No big tactical changes since half-time, but England’s tempo is much better.
53 min “Now, cards on the table; I’m not English,” says Matt Dony, a shocking revelation to regular MBM readers. “I have no specific English sympathies. And, in all honesty, I haven’t even decided who I want to win. Even if they lose, though, I just want to see the players do their thing. This isn’t exactly a hot take, but this is an astonishingly talented group. The attackers in that squad (and still at home) should be capable of scoring against anyone. The technique and skill level across the squad is surely at its highest level since the (apologies) Golden Generation. It’s criminal that this group has given these performances on this stage.”
52 min Kane cuts inside Skriniar on the edge of the area and sidefoots a low shot that hits Vavro and deflects not far wide.
51 min “We came to Frankfurt hoping to see Scotland play in the last 16 tomorrow, but, well, you know,” says Simon McMahon. “So we’re watching England with some Slovenians who are off to see Scotland Slovenia play Portugal tomorrow. We did get to see Gary Anderson and Peter Wright stumble over the line against Sweden in the quarter finals of the World Cup of Darts earlier though. So, swings and roundabouts.”
NO GOAL! England 0-1 Slovakia
Yep, Foden was ahead of Trippier when the ball was played. The most exasperating thing for England is that he didn’t need to be – he gained no relevant advantage from being offside.
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Saka moved the ball infield to Kane, who swept a terrific pass to release Trippier on the left side of the area. He bobbled the ball back across and Foden tapped it in from five yards.
Hang on, this is very tight and might be offside.
GOAL! England 1-1 Slovakia (Foden 50)
Now everyone calm down.
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49 min Who am I kidding. Panic! Make 11 subs!
48 min A slow start to the second half. Slovakia will waste every second they can, and why not. They’re a fairly old team who have been less impressive in the second half of their games, so there’s no need to panic yet.
47 min “If we’re doing existential football quotes, let’s go with the master,” says Paul Griffin. “Camus: ‘Is Kane injured or what? He’s well off the boil.’”
46 min England begin the second half, and you’ll be thrilled to hear there have been no substitutions.
“It has become increasingly obvious that something has been going on behind the scenes,” says Rich in Okinawa. “They are not playing with any team purpose IMO. Look at the body language, everyone is just an individual. Weird vibe.”
I don’t say this with any authority or knowledge but I think the body language is largely born of confusion and frustration.
“I know it’s partly that there isn’t enough movement, but Stones is playing SO slowly and SO safely - NEVER finding a through-the-lines pass - so he set a terrible example from the world go,” says Francis Mead. “He’s constipated and England can’t get the ball up the pitch. Palmer on for Saka and Gordon has to come on for... I’m not sure who. Bellingham is showing some good signs.”
“The whole discourse around the English football team is incredible,” says Andrew Hurley. “No one seems to understand this isn’t Fantasy Football. It’s not about picking the best players but the right system and then the right players for that system. Every other country is a little more mature in their thinking, but why? What’s worse is when Southgate eventually comes to his senses, and takes Bellingham off for Gordon, and England get through, it will be all about how they’re going to win it. Insufferable.”
Raheem Sterling is having a great tournament. Most of England’s best performances under Gareth Southgate were dependent on the quality of his movement.
Gordon, Palmer and Watkins feel the most relevant attacking options on the bench, certainly this early in the game. Toney and Alexander-Arnold are more likely to come on for the last 20 minutes or so. Luke Shaw is another option, though that would be a gamble for reasons so obvious that I don’t really know how to end this sentence.
Gary Neville on ITV says “this has got Iceland vibes written all over it… Gareth has got to make three substitutions: Palmer, Trent and Gordon.”
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Half time: England 0-1 Slovakia
The half-time whistle comes at an irritating time for England, who played their best football of the match in the last five minutes. There are plenty of boos from the England fans, who didn’t pay good money for this.
Slovakia were the better team, and that’s the operative word, for most of the half. Ivan Schranz finished stylishly after Marc Guehi and John Stones went for the same ball and Lukas Haraslin gave Kyle Walker the runaround early on.
It took England a while to get over going behind, but when they did they played with an intensity that has been lacking for most of Euro 2024. If they can add Roy Keane’s phrase, a bit of quality, they should win this game. If not, there’s a flight home with their name on it.
45+3 min Foden’s free-kick is punched away by Dubravka. England keep the ball and Mainoo swaggers past a couple of players before hitting a shot from 20 yards that deflects behind.
45+2 min Saka is fouled by Hancko on the right wing. Slovakia are looking stretched for the first time and will be extremely pleased to hear the half-time whistle. First, a free-kick from Foden…
45+1 min Three added minutes. Skriniar leaves plenty on Bellingham and is booked; that’s the fifth yellow card of the first half.
44 min Loads of England possession now, with Slovakia pressing selectively. Duda deliberately legs up Stones and is lucky not to be booked.
43 min “Your musings on Haraslin immediately bring to mind my experience watching Mislav Orsic at the last Euro and World Cup,” says Russell Yong. “ Even though he had amply signposted his talent for years by scoring in wins against Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham, having never played for anyone more famous than Dinamo Zagreb (before that he had played in the Chinese and Korean leagues and didn’t pull up trees there), meant he very much had a ‘Who is this guy?!’ quality. If I had to bank on any player making a step up to the big leagues it would’ve been him. Instead he’s had one immensely forgettable stint at Southampton and then busted an ACL at Trabzonspor, and is now so far off the radar it’s almost easy to forget he exists at all.”
42 min Foden just overhits a lofted through pass to Trippier, who made a fine run and was free on the left side of the area.
40 min “All this talk of freedom has got me thinking about the existentialists, who believed that freedom is about facing up to and embracing the radical choices that stand in front of us as possibilities,” writes Charlie Robinson. “We exercise choice and act freely when we override social constraints and thereby act authentically; to do otherwise is to act in bad faith. For instance, in Being and Nothingness, Sartre provides the example of an England midfielder caught on the horns of the existential dilemma of passing the ball forward hoping to create a chance, or passing it backwards to his centre back.”
39 min Bellingham, who is starting to stir, is fouled by Duda on the right wing. Foden’s dangerous inswinger is headed away really well, possibly by Skriniar. England dump the ball back into the box towards Rice, whose looping header into the danger area is punched away Dubravka.
Vavro and Bellingham also challenged for the ball, and Vavro – whose nickname is still ‘Bobby’ – has stayed down after wearing the straight arm of Bellingham and the elbow of Dubravka in the face. Ouch.
Updated
37 min England haven’t responded brilliantly to going behind. They look low on confidence, as you’d expect, but there’s definitely an issue of balance as well. Is Steve Guppy still available?
35 min “Don’t say this out loud,” says Liam McMahon, “but ‘Whisper it’ is the most obnoxious, and pointless, phrase in existence.”
Haha. I don’t think I’ve ever used it before as I don’t love it either, so I’ve no idea why I did just then. Liveblogging isn’t always conducive to clarity of thought, or indeed any thought.
34 min Better from Bellingham, who surges into the area from the left and wins a corner off Pekarik. Comes to nothing.
33 min My prediction was Slovakia to score first and England to win 2-1. I’m sticking to that – and if it happens, it will be much more beneficial psychologically than a routine 2-0 win.
That’s the positive spin anyway. Dammit, we can still win this election competition!
Updated
32 min Saka, who has been the brightest of England’s attackers without being at his best, beats Hancko but then slightly overhits his cross.
Updated
31 min “Even though he scored, Schranz still let England off the hook,” says Joe Pearson. “You are absolutely correct. If he had gone down, it would have been a penalty and another yellow for Guehi. Strategic error?”
I rather admire it. Besides, he’s got a Golden Boot to win.
30 min “It’s almost enjoyable how predictable this is,” says Graham Randall. “So slow and ponderous like the previous three games. Not sure just changing one midfielder was helpful.”
Anthony Gordon is the change I’d make, perhaps as early as half-time. Probably for Foden but there’s a case for Saka and Bellingham as well.
Updated
28 min Whisper it, but going behind might be the best thing that has happened to England. If this doesn’t wake them up, nothing will.
Updated
27 min Play has yet to restart because of an injury to Guehi, who hurt his shoulder while challenging for Pekarek’s long pass.
Pekarek’s long ball was headed on by Kucka to Strelec on the edge of the D. He had time to turn, wait for Schranz to run outside him and thread a perfect through ball. Schranz stayed on his feet despite contact from behind by Guehi – that could have been a penalty and a red card – and flicked the ball nonchalantly past Pickford from six yards. It’s hs third goal of the tournament.
England are behind against Slovakia... 😳#Euro2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/B7P5KLvQd6
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Updated
GOAL! England 0-1 Slovakia (Schranz 25)
Slovakia are so much more than the sum of their parts. The angles they make for each other when they have the ball are really impressive – and now they’ve scored!
Updated
24 min The corner is half cleared to Mainoo, who booms a volley over the bar from 22 yards. Decent effort.
23 min Bellingham swerves away from Vavro on the edge of the area, moves forward and flicks the ball square towards Foden. He goes down but play continues. Trippier crosses to the far post, where Kane’s header hits Hancko and goes a few yards wide.
21 min I’ve covered all Slovakia’s games in this competition and, while it might just be coincidence, they’ve been a lot better in the first half than the second. It won’t be the end of the world for England if they are level at half-time, especially as Slovakia are the better team right now.
Updated
20 min “This dude is card happy!” says Joe Pearson.
There’s a red coming at some stage isn’t there. England's last at a major tournament was Wayne Rooney for trying to vasectomise Ricardo Carvalho in 2006.
19 min Lukas Haraslin has played for Parma, Lechia Gdansk, Sassuolo and Sparta Prague. What gives? All tournament he has looked world class, and in the first 20 minutes he’s troubled Kyle Walker more than the great Vinicius Junior ever could.
Updated
18 min “I consider myself weird for watching the match on TV while my phone is on the MBM,” boasts Krishnamoorthy V. “I feel better after seeing Gareth watching a match on a tablet in the dugout.”
17 min Bellingham becomes the fourth player to be booked already. Haraslin had skinned Walker and then Bellingham wiped him out.
Updated
13 min Kucka is booked for a cynical foul on Trippier.
12 min: Chance for Slovakia! Haraslin makes a brilliant run behind Walker, onto a lovely through pass from Strelec, and is quick enough that Walker can’t make up the ground. He cuts across Walker, gets into the area and sidefoots a shot that is vitally blocked by the sliding Guehi. Then the ball ricochets around the penalty area before eventually being cleared.
That wasn’t the most convincing finish from Haraslin, who in hindsight should have whipped it to the near post. But in general play he looks fantastic.
Updated
10 min “England simply have to come out with their heads up, and get a proper stomp on this game,” says Bill Preston. “The team are really missing players that can turn a game through their thrilling theories. The Omission of Grealish (not my band, but the absent player, passim) has exposed the lack of inventiveness and flair in this squad. On inventiveness and flair, I saw Girls Aloud last night and that was super fun.”
9 min Bellingham plays a clever pass across the field to Trippier on the edge of the area. He takes the shot first time and launches it into orbit. There was a bobble.
9 min Lukas Haraslin is 28 years old and plays for Sparta Prague. He looks a terrific player to me.
8 min Lovely feet by Haraslin, who cuts inside Mainoo on the edge of the D and pings a shot that is blocked. Then another excellent ball flashes across the face. Slovakia have come to play.
7 min Mainoo flicks a beautiful return pass to Saka on the right side of the area. Saka’s first touch is fractionally heavy, which allows a defender to get across and block his shot.
Mainoo is then booked for a late challenge on Duda. That looked a bit harsh.
5 min: Chance for Slovakia! Haraslin, this excellent left winger, breaks behind Walker, runs at Stones and then plays in the overlapping Hancko. He slides the most inviting cross shot that goes just wide of the far post.
Desperately close 🫣
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Slovakia come close to snatching an early lead against England 👀#Euro2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/7xYeYPuXFO
Updated
4 min The resulting free-kick almost leads to a chance at the far post, though it turns out somebody was offside.
3 min Guehi has been booked and will miss the quarter-final if England get there. He was sold down the river by a short pass from Trippier; Strelec got to it first, knocked it past Guehi and was flattened.
Updated
2 min Slovakia are pressing England, as promised, and for the time being England are keeping the ball in their own half.
Updated
1 min And they’re off. Slovakia, in blue, kick off from right to left as we watch.
Updated
So now what: a dominant performance or a fight for dear life? We’re about to find out.
“Living in France without the benefit of Sky, BT Sports et al, my knowledge of current England footballers is gleaned largely through the musings of the MBM,” says Richard Hirst. “I am therefore unable to add to the debate (if that is not too august a word) about whether x or y should be inverted.
“I am, however old enough to have lived through 58 years of hurt (I remember as a 12 year old hiding my face behind a cushion when West Germany equalised, to hide my tears), so I am happy to acknowledge Southgate’s achievements over a number of tournaments. Let him get on with it, and support whatever team he puts out. Not exciting I know, but he deserves it.
”On the cultural front, I am disappointed not to have seen a Jude the Obscure headline, given Bellingham’s travails. But there’s still time.”
A reminder of the teams
England (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Mainoo, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane.
Substitutes: Shaw, Ramsdale, Konsa, Dunk, Gallagher, Toney, Gordon, Watkins, Bowen, Eze, Gomez, Henderson, Palmer, Wharton, Alexander-Arnold.
Slovakia (4-3-3) Dubravka; Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz, Strelec, Haraslin.
Substitutes: Obert, Rigo, Gyomber, Suslov, Tupta, Benes, Rodak, Hrosovsky, De Marco, Duris, Bero, Ravas, Sauer, Kosa, Bozenik.
Referee Umut Meler (Turkey).
The teams are about to emerge. The winners of tonight’s game will play Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
Seven of the England XI started the last 16 game against Germany three years ago. Those missing are… Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips, Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling.
Not long now. Jordan Pickford has hurt his hand in the warm-up, as he did on Tuesday, although he seems fine.
Jordan Pickford with a little discomfort before the match... 😳#Euro2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/gvzQXGgAYY
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
It’s a cool afternoon in Gelsenkirchen, with none of the extreme heat or lightning we saw yesterday. Sounds like the main problem at the moment is midges.
In other news…
“Maybe the answer to Palmer or Saka is both,” says David Howell. “You’d have to drop Foden or Bellingham but Saka on the left as an orthodox winger there would play to what England have now, with Trippier naturally inclined towards underlapping from the left. (Good at it, too; would have had an assist against Slovenia from it if Gallagher had just jumped.)
“England’s main attacking malaise seemingly comes from so many players inclined towards the same space. This would remove one of them (the dropped one of Foden/Bellingham) from the equation, and send another (Saka) to where he’s less inclined to cut inside.”
I’m sure Saka would be really good on the left, and I agree with everything you say about the centre being too crowded, but he has barely played there since the 2020-21 season. Football is so structured now that I think the days of pulling rabbits from hats have gone.
Harry Kane introduces his new podcast
“I’ll see your Rousseau and raise you Kristofferson: ‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose’,” says Joe Pearson. “Apply that to whomever you deem worthy.”
Read Ben Fisher’s Germany diary
It is two weeks since I spent my first full day of the tournament in Wolfsburg’s A&E, an X-ray confirming a toe fracture that has meant I have spent much of my time in Germany on crutches. The doctor, Dietrich, tells me he is a reader of these pages. Well, at least our political coverage of Hungary. A nurse asks for the company address before spending the next few minutes perusing Google images of pictures of Kings Place, aka Guardian Towers, and chuckling at my byline picture.
A fortnight on, this Friday is less weird: I venture to Velbert, a town on the hills of Niederberg renowned for producing locks, which is base camp for Georgia, surely the funnest team here. I get back pronto to avoid being caught in the crosshairs of an anti-far-right protest starting at Essen station.
‘You’re weird. No that was a compliment’
"8 months ago would you have believed you'd be at the Euros?" 🏴
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
"No" ❌
"Would you have backed yourself? 🤔
"𝗬𝗲𝘀" ✅
The Rise of Kobbie Mainoo ⭐️🎥@GabrielClarke05 pic.twitter.com/2DAIsdBZcy
Barney Ronay on the moreish misery of watching England
This is how it is in Germany, seeing the team in the flesh. England’s games feel like epic story beats, stop-the-clock moments of shared national angst, sport and identity and yearning all bundled into a single living show.
Cos life’s like this/Aha, aha/That’s the way it is
Jonathan Wilson gets out his stethoscope and asks England to lift up their T-shirt
Against Denmark there was a worrying sense fans had their England back; it wasn’t just that it was incoherent, it was that England seemed morally broken, incapacitated by a characteristic blend of ego and dread, struggling to play 10 yards passes at half-pace.
“One of the things pundits and critics are always saying is that Southgate should let the players play with more freedom, or unleash them to express themselves more,” says David Wall. “What nonsense. They seem to forget that most of these players play in Premier League teams that employ tightly constrained systems, where they rehearse attacking and defensive movements ad infinitum to the extent that they know where team-mates will be if they make a certain movement on or off the ball. It’s so well rehearsed it looks off-the-cuff and improvised, like a Mike Leigh film.
“People should remember their enlightenment literature, particularly Rousseau: ‘Freedom is living according to rules we make for ourselves’. If we really want the players to play with freedom then Southgate needs to find a system, or set of rules, they understand and can carry out on the pitch. He has done at previous tournaments so hopefully he can do so again here.”
Still 45 minutes to kick off and we’ve already got Rousseau and Mike Leigh in the house. The only way is down.
Introducing today’s opponents. They’re good, you know, and they won’t die wondering.
I am lucky because I have a very focused team who want to play offensively. We must be defensively sound, we must care about the details, but I trust my players. Until now they have given us a lot of satisfaction in terms of performance and behaviour.
The players on a yellow card
England Marc Guehi, Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier, Conor Gallagher
Slovakia Ondrej Duda, Ivan Schranz
Gareth Southgate's pre-match thoughts
Kobbie uses the ball really well and that will help us get through their high press. He’s looked very comfortable in an England shirt, he’s played some huge games for his club and he looks totally relaxed in our environment.
[Why only one change?] Those players over a period of time have proved themselves to be our best. But we also have good players on the bench to change things.
Slovakia have pressed high in their previous games. They’ll come to us and we’ve got to be good enough to play through that pressure. We need to press them too because they use the ball well.
In knockout games you need composure and resilience. As we saw last night, anything can happen in these games and you’ve got to bread to deal with whatever comes your way.
I’ve liked how the players have responded over the past week. It’s simple: we have to deliver on the pitch.
"Composure and resilience"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Gareth Southgate talks Kobbie Mainoo, Slovakia and how far England can go with @gabrielclarke05 🏴#Euro2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/6gIGI0681G
Updated
Team news: Mainoo starts
As expected, just the one change for England, with Kobbie Mainoo replacing Conor Gallagher in midfield. Slovakia are unchanged.
England (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Mainoo, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane.
Substitutes: Shaw, Ramsdale, Konsa, Dunk, Gallagher, Toney, Gordon, Watkins, Bowen, Eze, Gomez, Henderson, Palmer, Wharton, Alexander-Arnold.
Slovakia (4-3-3) Dubravka; Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz, Strelec, Haraslin.
Substitutes: Obert, Rigo, Gyomber, Suslov, Tupta, Benes, Rodak, Hrosovsky, De Marco, Duris, Bero, Ravas, Sauer, Kosa, Bozenik.
Referee Umut Meler (Turkey).
3 - Kobbie Mainoo (19y 72d) is the third-youngest player to start a knockout stage game for England at a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs), after Michael Owen v Argentina in 1998 (18y 198d) and Wayne Rooney v Portugal in 2004 (18y 244d). Occasion. #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/zoh1Ac9d42
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 30, 2024
Updated
“I get that Saka hasn’t been quite at his best so far, mostly in the last game where he got a bit stuck,” says Josh Hardie. “But I do find it a little odd that the ‘no width no pace’ mantra has taken hold, given he is Arsenal’s most effective runner and hugs the touchline like few others. Personally I think he’s been one of England’s better performers overall, and gets a bit of a tough time.”
I was thinking more on the left, where England are too narrow. I’d also argue that, though he’s quick, he isn’t lightning like, say, Gordon, and he probably doesn’t run in behind as much. Agree he’s had a tough time and personally think it would be wrong to leave him out for Palmer at this stage. He has so much credit in the bank. I’d view Saka and Palmer as a partnership who will cover 90/120 minutes between them.
Read David Hytner’s preview
I’m enjoying being here. I want to be here for another fortnight. I’ve got nothing to rush back for. I’m in the final of the padel. There’s a lot to look forward to.
Pivote department
Rice and Lobotka at this EURO 🎯#EURO2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/5gmSyE5vmY
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 30, 2024
Andrew Anthony on how a nation fell out of love with waistcoats
The journey from hero to zero can be disorientingly rapid in international football management, where Newton’s third law of motion has been rewritten to become: every action has an unequal and hysterical overreaction.
Team news
Gareth Southgate is expected to make one change from the draw with Slovenia: Kobbie Mainoo for Conor Gallagher in midfield. That will improve the speed and progressiveness of England’s passing, though it won’t resolve the relative lack of pace and width in attack.
Updated
Preamble
Good afternoon one and all. Who fancies watching a bit of history? Today in Gelsenkirchen, either England or Slovakia will break new ground: England by qualifying for yet another quarter-final, Slovakia by reaching the first in their history.
England have never before reached the quarter-finals in four consecutive major tournaments*. In the grand scheme this is a golden age, one that England fans will look back on with wistful eyes and misty smiles when they’re older. Yet right now there is an almost irreconcilable discord, one that will only go away if England win their next four games 10-0 Gareth Southgate finds a way to start Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins in the same team.
A feature of this golden age has been kind draws, and England are again in the better half of the draw. Their route to the final – evening Roy – is Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey/Netherlands/Austria/Slovenia.
Slovakia are a neat, well coached and extremely experienced team who have already beaten Belgium. It won’t be easy, but England should win. Heaven help us all if they don’t.
Kick off 5pm.
* They have reached the last eight at four consecutive tournaments, though, between 1986 and 1992. The European Championship was an eight-team competition in those days; England went out at the group stage on both occasions.
