England averts a disastrous European Championship defeat seconds before the end
A weak England was very close to elimination from the EM, but then Jude Bellingham had his brilliant moment: With just a few seconds left on the clock in the extra time of the quarterfinals, the young star equalized against Slovakia. The Three Lions managed to make it to the semifinals - and what a relief.
Jude Bellingham spread his arms to accept the deserved applause for his last-minute equalizer in the EURO quarterfinal. Harry Kane rushed over and did the same. The two English superstars celebrated side by side after Bellingham's game-changing moment. A little later, Kane headed in the decisive goal (91'): It was his 51st season goal.
Until just before the end, a disastrous outcome had threatened, with the tabloids already drafting damning headlines, as Bellingham (90.+5) forced extra time in Gelsenkirchen. Up until then, the team's performance with a squad worth over 1.5 billion Euro had been a symbol of the team's displays at this EURO: robust, lacking depth, harmless. Slovakia led through Ivan Schranz (25'). Kane didn't seem fully fit and had little connection to the game, but then he delivered the decisive blow (91'): It was his 51st goal of the season.
Despite all the criticism, Southgate didn't change his offensive strategy. Once again, the coach ordered Phil Foden, the Premier League Player of the Year, to the left wing - instead of what many experts had suggested, to the number ten position. Bellingham was preferred there once again. The Champions League winner from Real Madrid, who celebrated his 21st birthday in the team meeting room that Saturday, often gave way to Foden and focused on the right. However, the left side was mostly exposed.
Bellingham's game-changer, Kane's goal
The only change: The 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo came on for Conor Gallagher in the defensive midfield and became the youngest player in England's starting lineup at a major tournament in a decade. "These players have proven over a longer period that they are the best," said Southgate before the kickoff, as he was greeted by jeers from the English fans, "we have seen signs that the offense is coming together."
His opposite number, Francesco Calzona, who had once been a coffee vendor and was the only EURO coach also under contract at a club (SSC Napoli), trusted his team after the 1:1 against Romania and saw the first major chance in the fifth minute: David Hancko came close to scoring for England. Shortly thereafter, Kieran Trippier had to save his goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in a crucial moment (12') after a shot from Lukas Haraslin.
The favorite took longer to approach the goal. Kane's header was the first notable offensive action (23'). However, Slovakia took the deserved lead: After a clever pass from David Strelec, Schranz scored past Pickford.
Shortly after the restart, the English celebrated the supposed settlement. But Foden's shot was disallowed due to offside (50.). On the other side, Strelec had the 2:0 on his foot, as he missed the empty goal from 50 meters (55.). Southgate brought on Cole Palmer (66.) and thus introduced another offensive force against the increasingly tired Slovaks.
England was desperate - and finally broke free. Bellingham and Kane rejoiced together in front of the curve after the fallback pass. After Kane's goal, they both left the pitch.
In the exhilarating semifinals of the European Football Championship 2024, England's star player, Harry Kane, scored the decisive goal, making it his 52nd season goal. This moment came just minutes after Jude Bellingham's game-changing equalizer against Slovakia in the previous quarterfinals, which kept England's hopes alive.
After their close call against Slovakia in the quarterfinals, fans in England watched the European Football Championship 2024 with bated breath, hoping that their team, led by star players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, would secure a strong performance and deliver them to the finals.
