First half is rather subdued and England appear ponderous, yet Gareth Southgate decides to change things up at half time by substituting Kobbie Mainoo for Rice.
Foden attempts to slip in behind Kane, but his pass is subpar; as such, Kane is offside anyway and must wait his turn before entering. The England national football team vs Slovenia national football team standings could affect how both teams approach this play, as positioning and strategy become crucial in such competitive matchups.
Group C
Group C at Euro 2024 is starting to form, with England hoping not to repeat Italy’s surprise semi-final defeat from last tournament when they meet Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday. England are expected to emerge victorious from this section and could even take top honors, but will face stiff opposition in Matjaz Kek’s side.
Gareth Southgate will hope his side can turn things around after their subpar performances against Denmark and Serbia, both ending goallessly. There were some positive signs in the second half from England but overall their performance was unimpressive and has heaped more pressure onto Southgate to deliver results – Bukayo Saka’s shot was disallowed for offside while Cole Palmer came close late on in both games.
On Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, the winner of Group C will face one of the best third-place finishers from Groups D, E or F in order to advance into the round of 16. If England take first place and finish as champions in Group C, they would face either Hungary or Czech Republic as potential opponent nations in the round of 16.
Slovenia have been an unexpected surprise at this Euros, and their performance against Sweden in their opening match was remarkable. Playing their inaugural major tournament since becoming independent nation, Slovenia have already secured their spot in the knockout rounds and look poised for further success at these championships.
Group C remains difficult to predict. France and Germany are clear favourites, yet both teams lost their opening game. France remains winless after going 0-2 down, yet their defence has held strong. Plus Kylian Mbappe has returned after suffering a broken nose!
Austria and Slovenia share similar records in this competition; both teams lost their opening matches while failing to score any goals, though both remain defensively sound and pose a threat on the counterattack.
England
Gareth Southgate’s England squad ended their Euro 2024 campaign on Tuesday by playing out an uninspiring goalless draw with Slovenia, although 74% possession saw little chance created; in fact, their only shot on target was easily fielded by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Fans vented their frustration with jeers at RheinEnergieStadion Stadium.
On 20 minutes, England had a brief glimpse of life when Kieran Trippier found Declan Rice who embarked on an impressive counterattack that saw Bukayo Saka get in an attempt at scoring, only for it to be disallowed due to offside. It served as a timely reminder that England’s attacking threat wasn’t as potency.
Gareth Southgate made just one change at half time, substituting Kobbie Mainoo for Conor Gallagher but the Arsenal youngster could not add much to what was an otherwise flat performance from Kieran Trippier on the right flank; his link up play with Declan Rice and Phil Foden however lacked urgency.
England kept Slovenia pinned back within their own half in the second half, but struggled to break through a well-organized Slovenian defense led by captain Andraz Sporar and goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Nevertheless, England were able to claim first place in Group C and advance to the knockout rounds.
The Three Lions will likely face either Sweden or Denmark in the next round, both teams likely outperforming them on goals scored, goal difference and disciplinary records. Even with a victory against either of them in their final match-up they may still find their path through more difficult than had they won their opening two matches and drawn at least one game earlier in the tournament – which will be hard on Gareth Southgate and their fans to accept. To reach quarter-finals successfully they need to show superior quality against their last-16 opponents and progress past last 16 opponents with much higher quality performance against all last-16 opponents and get through to quarter finals successfully.
Slovenia
Slovenia has long struggled at major tournaments, yet Matjaz Kek’s side are showing promising signs of life and are in with a chance of progressing following their final group match against England. Slovenia have an excellent chance at topping their group and will feel hard done by after drawing goallessly against hosts Slovenia in their opener.
England have yet to score at this tournament and appear stuck for ideas. Phil Foden and Harry Kane must step up their performances if England are to progress past the quarter-finals.
Gareth Southgate’s side have struggled in their opening two games against Spain and Tunisia, ending up tied in goalless draws that went without scoring. Their possession and shots on target ratings remain in the bottom half, meaning Gareth Southgate must improve his attack in order to advance to the last 16.
Manchester City starlet Harry Maguire has emerged as one of England’s brightest young talents and made a significant impression at Euro 2024, playing alongside Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold as key members of their midfield.
Foden poses a threat in the final third with his excellent passing and movement, and is eager to showcase his abilities against Slovenia. If given more opportunities he could earn himself some playing time.
Three Lions put on another lackluster performance and this result will assure they fall into the lower half of their group. Fans’ jeers will only grow louder after such an uninspiring outing.
England enjoyed some promising spells during the first half but were unable to break through Slovenia’s well-organized defence. Their visitors made attempts for goal and Bukayo Saka had one shot disallowed for offside after 19 minutes.
Head-to-Head
England’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage at this European Championship were dealt a serious setback after they were held to a goalless draw by Slovenia in their final Group C match. Gareth Southgate’s side currently hold second in Group C but could still secure qualification provided Denmark defeat Serbia in their other group matchup.
England had better chances of victory at Cologne but were held back by some poor defensive play, most notably from Jordan Pickford who made some uncharacteristically careless errors in the first half. Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher were not at their best; Manchester United teenage Kobbie Mainoo was introduced at half-time but failed to provide any spark in the final third before being eventually replaced by Joe Hart from Manchester City.
Southgate’s team was not simply changing tactics; rather, they lacked creativity and cutting edge. Southgate only managed one shot on target – Harry Kane scored via a header following an attack led by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mark Noble that created one quick counter attack.
Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek may fancy his chances of an upset here as England have looked disengaged and listless since losing their opening game at Euro 2024. They are averaging 8.9 shots per game – the lowest among any team – while they have not scored any goals during either of their last two matches.
First half was an uneventful affair as both teams struggled to find their feet, leaving the match goalless at half time. England found their bearings after half time, though, and almost found an opening goal when Kane latched onto a loose ball and launched a low effort which narrowly missed Jan Oblak’s post.
England host Switzerland on Tuesday and are hoping their recent upturn can continue with a favorable result. Meanwhile, Slovenia must achieve an unlikely win to maintain any chance of reaching the last eight as Luka Jovic’s late equaliser against Serbia left them winless so far and in a precarious position with just two games left before elimination.
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