'Southgate is SO LUCKY' - England fans react to narrow Euro 2024 win over Slovakia

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 30 Jun 2024 20:22 BST
• 5 min read

Ivan Schranz’s 26th minute goal looked as though it had condemned England to an utterly humiliating last-16 exit at the 2024 European Championship.

The Three Lions were lacklustre during the group stages and were fortunate to top Group C, a result that opened up a favourable side of the draw.

However, things looked as though they were about to get even worse on Sunday night.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 top scorers

A dreadful defeat at the hands of Slovakia was on the cards until Jude Bellingham stepped up with a 95th minute bicycle kick to send the game into extra-time.

Less than two minutes after the restart and England were leading 2-1 after Harry Kane nodded home an Ivan Toney flick on.

Victory was clutched from the jaws of a dismal defeat and Gareth Southgate was saved from the public humiliation that had faced Roy Hodgson following England’s shock loss to Iceland at Euro 2016.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 most assists

Until Bellingham’s miraculous equaliser, things were incredibly dim for the Three Lions, however.

In the 26th minute, a mix-up at the back enabled David Strelec to play in Schranz, and he made no mistake with an outside-the-boot finish past a helpless Jordan Pickford.

A Phil Foden goal in the early stages of the second-half provided a brief moment of relief before VAR ruled the equaliser out due to the Manchester City man being in an offside position.

25 minutes later, an injury to Kieran Trippier saw Cole Palmer introduced and Bukayo Saka moved to left-back - a positional switch Southgate was urged to consider by Ian Wright, but one that many disregarded as foolish.

In the end, England averaged 64% possession and mustered only two shots on target, but it was just about enough to avoid a shock defeat to a nation ranked 45th in the world.

How England fans reacted to their narrow Euro 2024 win over Slovakia