England rose from the brink of the abyss to the eight in European Championship football. Slovakia took the lead in the fifth minute of added time, but one of the finest goals of the tournament changed everything.
European Football Championships on channels 14.6.–14.7. Go to the competition website from this link.
England was a minute and a half away from a quick relegation from the European football championships. When the final whistle blew, however, it celebrated a 2–1 victory and a place in the top eight.
Underdogs Slovakia took the lead in the fifth minute of six minutes of added time, but of Jude Bellingham a great goal brought England up to par.
Bellingham struck with a spectacular scissor kick from a corner kick. The corner kick was continued in his direction, and the Real Madrid player did not hesitate. Sports expert Antti Pohja was amazed by what he saw.
– I can’t help but laugh. Bellingham is on the field for this. He might not have played the best match in the world today either, but what incredible skill in this diamond moment. Absolutely incredible, Pohja beamed.
– Small, fast charging and jumping into the air. Clean touch with a chest kick on the ball. Controlled performance. It was handsome!
The goal was Bellingham’s second in this EC tournament. He also hit the Serbian net in the opening match. Back then, it was a close range goal.
Instead, Sunday’s hit will be reeling for a long time.
– An incredible goal. It was tight. Then a big player, big moments, and a brilliant goal. That’s how England stayed afloat, Mika Nurmela said in the studio.
Bellingham is now the youngest player in England’s European Championship history to score a goal in the playoffs. He turned 21 on Saturday. The previous record holder was Michael Owenwho hit the age of 24 years and 193 days in the 2004 tournament.
In addition, it is a very late goal scored in regular time by England in the European Championships. The shot was England’s first on target in the entire match.
– In the goal, you could see Bellingham’s irritation and frustration. He knows what people have said about him. For the first time, they have not been nice things, former national team goalkeeper Joe Hart told the BBC.
– This is why he plays for Real Madrid. He played (head coach) Gareth Southgate. Bellingham pulled a rabbit out of its hat, said former national team defender Lee Dixon.
The tie took the game to the overtime. It was played only half a minute before the special situation, from which England already took the lead. The ball rebounded from outside the penalty area a few meters from Slovakia’s goal and Harry Kane put it in.
Only about two minutes were played between England’s equalizer and the lead goal.
– I was just about to say at the beginning of the follow-up match that Kane needs to raise his level. He’s been in the shadows a bit. So what’s up? A minute played and he’s doing what he does best, Pohja said.
As a special statistical fact, England’s first goal was theoretically marked in the 95th minute of the match, while its second goal came “on paper” earlier, i.e. in the 91st minute.
England has scored a total of four goals in the four matches they have played. Both Bellingham and Kane hit once in the group stage as well.
In the quarter-finals, England will face Switzerland, who defeated Italy, who entered the tournament as the reigning champions, on Saturday. The match will be played next Saturday.
The races are followed moment by moment in the app and on ‘s website in this article.