July 01, (THEWILL) – England narrowly avoided elimination with a stunning 2-1 victory over Slovakia in their Euro 2024 round-of-16 match on Sunday. The Three Lions found themselves on the back foot for much of the game before mounting an improbable comeback in the dying minutes of regulation time.
Slovakia took an early lead through Ivan Schranz’s 25th-minute strike, catching England off guard with an incisive counter-attack. The underdogs continued to press aggressively, frustrating England’s attempts to establish their rhythm. Declan Rice came closest to equalising for England in normal time, his long-range effort striking the post.
Jude Bellingham produced a moment of magic in the 95th minute, scoring with an acrobatic bicycle kick to level the scores. It was England’s first shot on target in the entire match, injecting new life into their campaign. The momentum shift carried into extra time, with Harry Kane heading home the winner just one minute after the restart.
England’s reward for their perseverance is a quarterfinal clash with Switzerland, who eliminated defending champions Italy with a 2-0 win on Saturday. As the tournament progresses, Gareth Southgate’s side will hope to build on this escape and challenge for their first major trophy since 1966.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
