Early morning of July 1, Vietnam time, the England team won 2-1 against Slovakia thanks to goals from Bellingham and Kane to book a ticket to the quarter-finals of EURO 2024.

After defending champions Italy were eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16 of EURO 2024 , attention turned to England , the other team that played in the EURO final three years ago, but is also performing unconvincingly.

England won only 1 match in the group stage, scoring only 2 goals. The “Three Lions” are considered stronger than Slovakia in the round of 16 match taking place at 11pm, but remember that Slovakia beat Belgium in the group stage. The Eastern European team plays a very annoying defensive counter-attack, never an easy opponent to defeat.

He played deadlocked.

AFP

Despite not playing well in the group stage, coach Gareth Southgate made very few changes to the starting lineup. The appearance of Koobie Mainoo was the only highlight. The remaining attack was still Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane.

With a superior force in terms of class and experience, England dominated the game. However, ironically for Southgate and his team, Slovakia were the more dangerous attacking team, with their attacks cutting into the English defense (the space between the winger and the defender) causing Jordan Pickford’s goal to falter.

It wasn’t until the 23rd minute that England had their first chance when Kane headed the ball off a Slovakian defender and into the post.

Then just 2 minutes later, Ivan Schranz poured cold water on England when he entered the penalty area and kicked the ball with the outside of his foot, opening the score.

After Slovakia opened the scoring, the match played out similarly to the one Schranz won against Belgium. Slovakia defended fiercely, pressing fiercely in midfield, while England struggled to develop the ball.

Palmer entered the field too late.

AFP

In the 50th minute, England had the sharpest attack of the match. Kane opened the ball for Kieran Trippier to run down, then crossed for Foden to tap in. However, VAR intervened and confirmed Foden was offside.

Despite having many stars, England’s attack played in a disjointed manner, lacking highlights. There were few opportunities, and Southgate’s students missed them. In the 78th minute, from 7 meters in front of the goal, Kane jumped high and headed the ball wide. The game only got brighter when Cole Palmer entered the field.

Slovakia defended with discipline, but the Three Lions’ attack made things difficult for themselves with some lackluster moves. Then, Bellingham’s moment rescued England at the last minute. In the 90+5 minute, Bellingham’s midfielder fired a bicycle kick into the Slovakian net to level the score at 1-1, bringing the match into the first half.

Number 10’s masterpiece saved England

He successfully reversed the situation.

AFP

In extra time, coach Southgate increased the pressure by sending Ivan Toney onto the field.  While Slovakia began to  run out of steam, England had a strong enough force and applied high-intensity pressure.  In the 91st minute, Toney left  his mark when he tactically headed the ball into the far post after a pass from Eze, allowing Kane to appear at the right time to finish close to the goal, raising the score to 2-1.

At this point, England did not make any more mistakes as they completely dominated the game, not giving Slovakia a chance to fight back.  By defeating Slovakia, England entered the quarter-finals of EURO 2024. The next opponent of coach Southgate and his team is Switzerland.