Gareth Southgate and England have fallen behind by one goal at half-time of their Round 16 match against Slovakia at Euro 2024, and things don’t look encouraging for Gareth Southgate and his side.
England come back into the match with renewed vigour following their halftime break, Kieran Trippier finding space on the left side and crossing for Foden, but unfortunately, he is offside, a moment reflected in the England national football team vs Slovakia national football team timeline
First Match
England are trying to play a passing game against Slovakia but their defence remains staunch. England receive a corner after Kobbie Mainoo is challenged just outside the box, however Kane’s header was blocked by Dubravka before another corner from Walker was cleared by Dubravka following Foden’s cross which Dubravka cleared away before Foden attempted a pass through for Trippier before it was cut out by Dubravka.
Ivan Schranz scores for Slovakia from close range. England attempt to respond, but their chances have passed them by.
Gareth Southgate makes a substitution, taking off Trippier and replacing him with Palmer. He alters to a 3-5-2 formation with Eberechi Eze and Saka playing as wing backs; Ivan Toney was introduced and moved into central midfield by Southgate.
Starting off in an eventful manner, Pekarik was booked by referee Lee Probert for a late challenge on Foden and soon afterwards Marc Guehi was whistled for fouling Leicester City forward Riyad Mahrez. England struggled to create chances and when any did go wide it often went way over the bar.
England have suffered an unexpected setback at Euro 2024 and now depend on Ivan Toney to score to keep them from elimination. He attempted an instant impactful header, which unfortunately flew wide of its mark.
Slovakia remains dangerous, almost scoring again with another counter attack from their left flank. Haraslin’s pass is met by Trippier who sprints towards goal before being blocked by Hancko with a last-ditch tackle.
England have seen two yellow cards issued; Guehi first and then Mainoo for challenges on the right wing, which saw Mainoo hit one over the bar as England began struggling in possession.
England are now pressing forward in search of an offensive outlet, while Saka and Foden appear to be linking well but with few final passes being exchanged between them; unfortunately this means England are becoming pinned back and that their hosts look likely to maintain their lead.
Ivan Toney had an opportunity to tie things up but his header went wide of the goal, leaving England staring down the barrel of six minutes of added time and potentially elimination.
Second Match
England haven’t shown much evidence of being capable of scoring goals during this tournament and time is quickly running out for them to make amends. They need a goal against Slovakia in this matchup if they want to stay alive, yet Slovakia are sure to put up stiff resistance and battle hard for every ball at this stage of competition.
England are in search of an equaliser, creating chances but failing to convert them. Slovakia have looked dangerous on the counter-attack; unfortunately for England they’ve been unable to capitalize.
Gareth Southgate has made several adjustments for this match and decided on a back three formation. Cole Palmer replaced Trippier, while Eberechi Eze was brought in as left wingback. Furthermore, Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea has also been included.
Both teams were relatively quiet early in the second half, but it has since picked up pace. Slovakia began applying more pressure on England’s defence while also creating some chances. For example, Skriniar placed an imminent danger near the far post for Lukas Haraslin to head but his attempt missed its target by some distance.
Bellingham and Rice combine effectively to break through into Slovakian box, but are unable to find a decisive pass. England players appeal for penalty, yet referee is unperturbed by their efforts.
Foden makes an attack down the right and his cross is deflected away from goal by Pekarik. England players appear more eager, yet still aren’t able to score.
England are beginning to play better in the first half, showing some encouraging signs. Harry Kane misses an early header but they are creating opportunities.
As time ticks away for England, things are becoming more exciting as Norbert Gyomober brings Bellingham down in the area, but referee waves it off.
Third Match
As time winds down, England appears to have lost any chance at making a late comeback. They trail Slovakia by one goal at Euro 2024’s Gelsenkirchen stage – Ivan Schranz scoring first to put Slovakia in control before Jude Bellingham saved them with an incredible stoppage-time bicycle kick that sent home fans wild with delight and sent Slovakia packing.
England attempted hard to create an equaliser late, but were unable to create any clear opportunities. A corner came their way, but they failed to clear it properly and it was cleared for throw in instead. Trippier and Bellingham linked well together but Arsenal winger Bellingham played an overcooked cross into the box that Slovak defense were well able to defend against.
Slovakia are an impressive team, boasting large players that create dangerous counterattacks when combined with their counterplay, yet their counters can easily be exposed by poor possession play. That is why teamwork is essential, yet England have been poor for long stretches during the game and they have struggled to create an opportunity for themselves as a result.
Referee blows the whistle for half time of an intense match as both teams fight hard for their spot in the quarter finals.
England began the second half pressing harder than they had during the initial period, yet still struggled to break through Slovakia’s defense. Phil Foden ran into Denis Vavro and went down with an apparent head injury; as a precautionary measure, referee stopped play while checking on him; eventually returned on and was okay to continue; while Kobbie Mainoo and Marc Guehi both received yellow cards for fouling their Slovakia team-mates.
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Fourth Match
Gareth Southgate’s England appeared doomed for defeat after Ivan Schranz scored early for Slovakia. Phil Foden saw an attempt ruled out due to offside, Harry Kane missed an incredible opportunity and Declan Rice struck the post, forcing Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions to wait until deep into stoppage time for Jude Bellingham’s stunning equaliser which led to late Ivan Toney header as England secured an historic win and advanced into quarter-finals.
At half-time, this match remains goalless with both teams looking for ways to break open an attacking groove. Slovakia have shown the edge in terms of possession and expected goals (xG), yet have struggled to break through England’s defenses. Meanwhile, England have looked toothless up front while also showing vulnerabilities at the back.
Kieran Trippier falls to the ground after suffering a head injury and is replaced by Cole Palmer. Slovakia defender Denis Vavro then struck Eberechi Eze, which caused a melee to break out in the center of the pitch and caused referee Meler to reach for his yellow card but ultimately decided not to send any players off.
England are on the brink of disaster as they fail to turn any of their possession into meaningful opportunities. Their defensive formation is becoming suffocating and must change.
Kyle Walker launched a long throw with little expectation in the 96th minute and Marc Guehi flick-on wasn’t much more encouraging, until Jude Bellingham leapt up, contorted his body to meet it as it floated down, and sent it ricocheting into the bottom corner for what will go down as one of England’s signature goals – one which saved them from defeat!
Extra time of the match was an intense affair as both sides struggled to break through their opponents’ defenses. A draw seemed inevitable until Harry Kane produced an astounding piece of skill from Tottenham forward to burst through and head home a winner that sealed an incredible comeback and secured them a quarter final match against Switzerland.
