England escaped an embarrassing last 16 exit at Euro 2024 thanks to Jude Bellingham‘s overhead kick before Harry Kane struck in extra-time for a 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday. The Three Lions have been hyped as one of the favourites to end a 58-year wait for major tournament glory but looked set to go out with a whimper to Ivan Schranz’s 25th minute goal. However, Bellingham’s moment of inspiration five minutes into six added on in stoppage time breathed new life into Gareth Southgate’s reign as England boss. Kane then headed in just a minute into extra-time to set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday. “That’s the desire and the attitude from the boys. It looked tough for a second there but you keep going… Jude does what Jude does and what an unbelievable goal,” Kane said.

Southgate looked certain to fall on his sword after steadfastly refusing to make changes to a side that stumbled through as winners of Group C despite scoring just two goals in three games.

Kobbie Mainoo was introduced for his first competitive start in Southgate’s only change and he paid the price with another lacklustre display lacking in any speed or invention for long spells.

The one saving grace of England’s performances in the group stage was that a makeshift defence had held up well, conceding just once in three games.

However, they were torn to pieces early on by a Slovakia side ranked 45th in the world.

England did not heed a couple of warnings as David Hancko and Lukas Haraslin were wasteful with big chances.

Slovakia finally punished their more illustrious opponents when David Strelec was given acres of room to turn and play in Schranz, who confidently stroked past Jordan Pickford for his third goal of the tournament.

Despite his lack of experience, Mainoo was one of the few players that threatened to spark England into life as the Manchester United midfielder’s effort was deflected wide.

The half-time whistle was met with a chorus of boos but Southgate still stuck to his guns and did not make a change until 25 minutes to go.

England did at least improve on a dismal first half and had the ball in the net within five minutes of the restart.

Phil Foden turned in Kieran Trippier‘s cross but was caught offside after a VAR review.

Slovakia should have doubled their lead shortly afterwards when England gave away possession and Strelec saw Pickford well off his line but failed to hit the target from the halfway line.

Southgate’s hand was finally forced on 66 minutes by an injury to Trippier.

One of the major calls the England boss will come to regret is only naming one natural left-back in his 26-man squad in Luke Shaw, who has not played a minute for club or country since February.

With Shaw not match-fit, Bukayo Saka was forced to deputise at left-back to make room for the introduction of Cole Palmer.

England’s chances seemed to have gone when Kane headed wide a golden opportunity and Declan Rice smashed the post with a long-range pot shot.

Southgate was even derided by the England support for bringing on Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing.”

However, there was an incredible twist as Bellingham acrobatically turned home Guehi’s flick-on from a throw-in the final moments of added-on time.

Kane hailed the goal as “one of the best in our country’s history, I reckon”.

Slovakia were suddenly rattled and Toney was to have a telling contribution.

The Brentford striker headed Eberechi Eze’s mishit shot back across goal for Kane to power home his second goal of the tournament.

Slovakia should still have taken the game to penalties when full-back Peter Pekarik failed to turn in a dangerous driven cross from point-blank range.

But England live to fight another day come the quarter-final against an impressive Switzerland, who comfortably knocked out holders Italy 2-0 on Saturday.

England vs Slovakia Live Streaming Euro 2024 Round Of 16 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

The Round of 16 for Euro 2024 is set, as Georgia pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory over Portugal to become the final side to qualify. Spain, England and hosts Germany have finished first in their group, as expected. However, highly-fancied France could only qualify second from Group D, with Austria taking a surprise top spot. Slovenia, Netherlands, Slovakia and Georgia qualified as the four best third-placed teams, while Hungary and Croatia bowed out. Let’s look at a preview for all eight Round of 16 games:

Switzerland v Italy

Italy head into Saturday’s clash with Switzerland in Berlin still a work in progress after scraping into second place seconds before the end of their final Group B game with Croatia.

The defending champions will be wary of the Swiss, who will likely have four Serie A players in their starting line-up and showed in their 1-1 draw with Germany that they are perfectly capable of giving the big boys a bloody nose.

Germany v Denmark

Revitalised under Julian Nagelsmann, Germany have been alongside Spain the best team of the group stage and will rightly be considered favourites against Denmark, who laboured to second place in the dismal Group C behind England.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said that his team always “step up” when facing the big nations but Germany will also have the backing of Dortmund’s famous Westfalenstadion on Saturday as they seek a record-breaking fourth Euros title.

England v Slovakia

England have had a soft landing against Slovakia on Sunday after topping Group C despite putting in three hugely disappointing displays against middling opposition.

Coach Gareth Southgate was pelted with plastic cups by frustrated fans after Tuesday’s goalless draw with Slovenia and performances will have to pick up if his team are to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Spain v Georgia

Luis de la Fuente’s side have been the most impressive team of the tournament so far after breezing through the supposedly tough Group B with a perfect nine points and a statement win over the Italians.

With almost their entire first XI, including star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, rested in Monday’s 1-0 win over Albania, anything other than straightforward passage into the quarters for Spain would be a massive shock in Cologne on Sunday.

However Georgia are this tournament’s fairytale and showed by beating Portugal on Wednesday they can spring an upset.

France v Belgium

Possibly the most intriguing tie of the round sees two big teams yet to hit form face off in Dusseldorf on Monday.

France were unimpressive in qualifying in second place from Group D. Kylian Mbappe is the only player in Didier Deschamps’ side to score a goal and that strike came from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw with already-eliminated Poland.

Belgium meanwhile have played well in bursts but were barracked by fans in Stuttgart on Wednesday after a safety-first approach against Ukraine saw them edge into the last 16 from Group E.

Portugal v Slovenia

Portugal will be heavy favourites to get past Slovenia in Frankfurt on Monday and coach Roberto Martinez will have a mostly rested first XI to call upon after making a raft of changes for Wednesday’s defeat to Georgia which made no difference to the Group F winners.

Slovenia didn’t impress in Group C, finishing third and scoring twice in three matches, but Matjaz Kek‘s team are unbeaten in nine games and beat Portugal 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.

Romania v Netherlands

The Dutch were hugely disappointing in Group D, finishing third behind Austria and France, and should be wary on Tuesday of Romania who are in the last 16 for the first time in 24 years after topping a tight Group E.

However Ronald Koeman, who called his team “appalling” after losing 3-2 to Austria, has been rewarded for their underwhelming displays by being placed on the easier side of the knockout bracket where off-colour England and an unsure Italy are the only heavyweights.

Austria v Turkey

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria have been given the dangerous tag of tournament dark horse after topping Group D ahead of France and the Dutch, playing some exciting football in the process. Tuesday’s match with Turkey in Leipzig promises to be an entertaining affair with Vincenzo Montella’s talented side being backed by huge support at every match.

Romania and Slovakia both qualified for the last 16 at Euro 2024 after a tense 1-1 draw in their last Group E game on Wednesday. Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead in the first half but Romania’s Razvan Marin equalised with a penalty before the interval. With all four teams in the group earning four points from their three games, Romania finished top having scored more goals than second-placed Belgium.  Slovakia went through in third place thanks to a superior goal difference to fourth-placed Ukraine.

It was a memorable moment for Romania, who are into the knockout stages of the Euros for the first time in 24 years.

Romania had only qualified once for the last 16 in their five Euro appearances, but Edward Iordanescu’s tenacious side have ended that long drought. They responded to Iordanescu’s pre-match challenge to make “history” with a combative display fuelled by their army of vociferous fans, who turned the stadium into a sea of yellow.

Slovakia are into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the third time. They reached the last 16 in the 2010 World Cup and made it to the same stage at Euro 2016.

Knowing a draw would send both teams through, cynics had suggested they would play out a mutually beneficial stalemate. But there was no sign of Romania settling for a point as they made a fast start.

They threatened an early goal when Andrei Ratiu’s stinging strike was pushed away by Martin Dubravka, with the rebound lashed wildly over by Ianis Hagi.

Romania mosh-pit

Marin smashed a free-kick narrowly wide from long range moments late as Romania looked to capitalise on their early dominance.

Slovakia were inches away from snatching the lead as Lukas Haraslin’s free-kick went through a crowd of players and almost crept in at the far post. It was a warning Romania failed to heed and Slovakia went in front in the 24th minute.

Juraj Kucka whipped in a deep cross that caught the Romania defence standing statuesque, leaving the unmarked Duda free to power his header past Florin Nita from eight yards.

Romania’s response was emphatic as they drew level in the 37th minute thanks to an incisive raid from the son of former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Gheorghe Hagi.

David Hancko’s foul on Hagi was adjudged a penalty by VAR after referee Daniel Siebert initially ruled the offence had taken place just outside the area.

Marin stepped up to drill the spot-kick high into the roof of the net to the deafening delight of the hordes of Romania fans who turned the arena into a frenzied mosh-pit.

The searing Frankfurt heat gave way to a heavy storm in the second half as thunder, lightning and rain swirled around the stadium. It was a suitably dramatic backdrop to a tense clash that was close to swinging Romania’s way when Marin forced a good save from Dubravka before Denis Dragus skimmed the roof of the net.

Haraslin’s curler flashed past the far post as the storm abated, but, while there was no winner, both sides ended up celebrating their progress to the knockout stage.

Slovakia vs Romania Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

The 2024 European Championship has been a breath of fresh air as 24 countries have been battling it out for the past week in an attempt to break through to the Round Of 16. The top two teams from each of the six groups will qualify to the next round with the four of the six best placed teams that finish third will also be guaranteed qualification. Hosts Germany, Spain and Portugal are the only three teams that have secured qualification as of now. Here are the qualification scenarios for each group heading into the final game-week

Group A: Germany vs Switzerland, Scotland vs Hungary

The Germans won their opening games against Scotland and Hungary which was enough for the hosts to guarantee their spot in the next round. In the history of the tournament, no team has ever failed to qualify for the knockout stages after getting four points which means Switzerland already have one foot in the Round of 16.

Scotland on the other hand have never qualified for the knockouts at the tournament and the side is aiming to achieve history if they were to win against Hungary in their final game. A win would take them to four points and although it would be difficult for them to overcome the six-goal difference that stands between them and the Swiss, A third place finish with four points could very likely see them qualify.

However a draw would see the side be in a very unlikely position to qualify depending on results from other groups.

Group B: Spain vs Albania, Italy vs Croatia

Spain has begun the tournament on the right note, securing qualification in the ‘Group of Death,’ in the second game week will see the side breathe a sigh of relief heading into their final fixture with Albania. Italy on the other hand will need to avoid defeat to secure their place in the next round. Croatia and Albania would both need to win to confirm qualification.

Group C: England vs Slovenia, Serbia vs Denmark

England must avoid defeat against Slovenia in their last group game to advance from Group C. A win will ensure Gareth Southgate’s team advances as group champions. If Denmark fails to beat Serbia, England will qualify regardless of the outcome against Slovenia.

Denmark and Slovenia will advance automatically as winners. Serbia will finish in the top two if they beat Denmark and Slovenia does not overcome England.

Group D: Netherlands vs Austria, France vs Poland

Poland became the first team to be eliminated from the race to the knockouts as they lost their opening two games against Netherlands and Austria.

Netherlands and France currently occupy the top two positions respectively after wins in their opening game followed by a draw against each other sees both teams at four points each and Austria not far behind with three points to their name.

If both France and the Dutch were to avoid defeat then they would guarantee qualification. However Austria will finish in the top two if they beat the Netherlands.

Group E: Ukraine v Belgium, Slovakia v Romania

This marks the first time in Euros history that all four teams have the identical number of points after two games. All four clubs know that a win on Wednesday will advance them to the round of 16, but no team can guarantee first place with a win.

A point will suffice for Belgium, who play Ukraine, and Romania, who face Slovakia.

If both games are drawn, goal difference will determine who finishes where (because all teams have the identical head-to-head points). Belgium and Romania will advance, with Slovakia aiming to be one of the top third-placed teams. Ukraine would be out.

Group F: Portugal vs Georgia, Czech Republic vs Turkey

Portugal have already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament and they will be the table toppers if they were to avoid defeat against Georgia.

Both Czech Republic and Georgia will need to win if they want a shot at qualifying in the top two of the table. Georgia would also require Turkey to lose their game against Czech with the goal difference playing a part.

Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and Albania are the top four best third placed teams in the tournament as of now.

Roman Yaremchuk emerged from the bench to score the winning goal as Ukraine produced a stirring fightback to beat Slovakia 2-1 and kickstart their Euro 2024 campaign on Friday. Slovakia knew victory in Duesseldorf would take them through to the knockout stage with a game to spare and they went ahead on 17 minutes thanks to Ivan Schranz, who netted the winner in the shock victory over Belgium in their opening game. Ukraine came into this match reeling after losing 3-0 to Romania last time out but they dug deep here and equalised through Mykola Shaparenko nine minutes after half-time.

Shaparenko, of Dynamo Kyiv, then turned provider for Yaremchuk to score the decisive goal as Ukraine joined Slovakia and Romania on three points in a wide-open Group E.

Romania play Belgium, who are bottom without a point, on Saturday in Frankfurt before the final round of matches next Wednesday.

Like they had before their first game against the Romanians, the Ukraine players emerged onto the sodden pitch in rainy Duesseldorf with Ukrainian flags draped over their shoulders.

They are present at the tournament amid the ongoing war in their homeland and it was impossible to avoid the political narrative to this match in particular.

Slovakia shares a border with Ukraine but the country’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico -– who survived being shot in an assassination attempt last month -– is an opponent of military aid to the Ukrainians in its fight against the Russian invasion.

Last weekend Peter Pellegrini was sworn in as Slovakia’s new President after a campaign dominated by divisions over the war in Ukraine.

His predecessor, Zuzana Caputova, was a staunch Ukraine supporter, but Pellegrini is an ally of Fico and in favour of peace negotiations.

There was more support in the stands for Ukraine than their opponents at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, as their coach Serhiy Rebrov made four changes following the heavy loss to Romania in Munich.

Captain Taras Stepanenko and Girona winger Viktor Tsygankov were among the players to drop out, while Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin started in goal in place of Andriy Lunin, whose errors proved costly in the opening match.

Slovakia, though, played with confidence after their fine result against Belgium, and Trubin made one stop from Lukas Haraslin before producing a fine reaction save to deny Schranz.

They were soon rewarded for their early pressure with the opening goal.

Trubin saved a David Hancko free-kick, then from the throw-in which followed Haraslin lobbed the ball from the byline to the back post for Schranz, of Slavia Prague, to head in.

However, Ukraine improved and were almost level just after the half-hour mark when a low strike by Oleksandr Tymchyk was tipped onto the far post by the fingertips of Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

They drew level on 54 minutes after a fine move which ended with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s low ball into the middle from the left being swept home by Shaparenko.

Rebrov’s team now had the momentum and they hit the woodwork again on 74 minutes when Mykhailo Mudryk struck the post from a tight angle after being set up by Yaremchuk.

It was Yaremchuk, the striker who has spent the season in Spain at Valencia, who got the winner as he controlled Shaparenko’s high ball over the top and poked past Dubravka to spark wild celebrations in the stands and tears of joy from the players at full-time.