Miraculous! England, one of the favorites for Euro 2024, came very close to missing the quarter-finals. Saved by a splendid equalizer from Jude Bellingham at the end of added time against Slovakia, Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, in the round of 16, the English ended up qualifying in extra time, thanks to a goal from Harry Kane (2-1, after ).
Published on: 06/30/2024 – 8:38 p.m. Modified on: 06/30/2024 – 8:57 p.m.
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They came very close to a surprise elimination. The English finally managed to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, overcoming, in extra time, Slovakia (2-1, aet), Sunday June 30, in Gelsenkirchen.
Ivan Schranz (25th) opened the scoring for the Slovaks and the heroic Jude Bellingham equalized with a fantastic bicycle kick at the end of added time for the English (1-1). It was finally the inexhaustible Harry Kane who offered qualification to his team, with a headed goal at the start of extra time.
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Enough to save the English from a famous snub. Because Slovakia, initially playful, started without any complexes, creating opportunities through David Strelec (5th) and Lukas Haraslin (12th) before being logically rewarded by a goal from Ivan Schranz, his third of the competition (25th).
After Phil Foden’s goal was ruled out for offside in the 50th minute, Kane, finally awake, missed the unmissable in the 77th minute when, superbly served by Foden, the Bayern striker saw his header go wide of the goal defended by Martin Dubravka.
In the process, Declan Rice saw his shot from twenty meters crash against the post of the opposing goal.
Masterstroke
While the Slovak wall, built around Milan Skriniar, refused to break, it was a stroke of genius that saved the British.
After a cross from Kyle Walker received by Mark Guéhi, Jude Belligham, 21 years old since Saturday, pulled off an improbable overhead kick, a masterpiece to put his team back in the game by a hair’s breadth.
A hard blow for the men of the Italian coach of Slovakia Francesco Calzona who definitively gave in in the first minute of extra time on Kane’s saving header.
Finalists of the previous edition, the “Three Lions” and Switzerland, victorious on Saturday over defending champion Italy, will face each other on July 6 in Düsseldorf.
With AFP
