England v Slovakia

Hey Jude, don't be afraid to score and improve a bicycle kick goal.

Unsurprisingly, the 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo would come into the midfield after coming on in the Slovenia game after issues with the England midfield pairing. However, fans and pundits thought unsurpassed, were disappointed with the lack of changes made in the lineup, with fans wondering why Gordan, Palmer, and so many other players were not given the opportunity from the get-go after their performances as subs in the group stages in creating creativity in the final third.

England went behind in the 25 minutes with a goal by Ivan Schranz. It was all chances for Slovakia; Engalnds only had two shots on target, which were the goals scored, which is not good enough with their pedigree on the pitch.

The yellow cards came in quickly in the first half, with Marc Ghec receiving a second one in a row, meaning he will not be able to play in the quarter-finals against Switzerland, which is worrying for a shaken defence after last night's weak performance. The England staff asked some questions, especially Southgate, towards the 4th official on the touchline about why some fouls and carded offences on England players were worse than though England players were carded for and were not given yellows. The officials and referees have come under a lot of fire and disciplinary measures in this euros for poor decisions, for example, not awarding Scotland a penalty in their last group stage that cost them going further in the competition

What a game that only started in the second half for England. The fans and pundits thought that given England's group stage performance and criticisms, something would change, a shift would occur, but that did not happen till the 95th minute.

There was an early second-half goal by Phil Foden, which he attributed to his new baby, which arrived earlier this week. However, this was overruled because Phil Foden was offside before Trippier released the ball. This could mean it would have been 1-1, but it was not to be, and England played with more urgency but not enough in the penalty box. Declan Rice hitting the sidebar bar is recosaying toward Kane with a header missing the goal. Time was ticking and running out, and it looked like England was experiencing some da ja vue from the Icelandic boom of 2016, which was under Roy Hodgson that England did not reach the knockout stage of competitions. After that, the tournament was the start of Southagtes 8 year reign as manager, which is likely to end when his contract expires in December of this year.`

The latest ever England goal in euros was at 94.34 minutes, with only one minute to spare to take England to the quarter-finals of the euro. It looked like the journey was over. Fans had left the stadium before the final whistle; rookie error there, but I am sure they'd rather England win. He gave our survivor, who turned 21 years old the day before, what can only be said as the greatest England goal of all time. The golden boy, Jude Bellingham, proved why he is in the starting XI. It was not just the timing that was epic. It was the style in which he scored with a bicycle goal over the head, smashing it into the back of the net, and England erupted. Bellingham shouted ‘who else?” who else was going to save England like that? He can dig deep even if you are behind in his short time at Real Madrid. Bellingham said in a post-match interview, “Playing for England is an enjoyable feeling but it's also a lot of pressure," said the Real Madrid midfielder. 

"You hear people talk a lot of rubbish. It's nice when you can deliver and give them a little back."

The game was not over yet. This was just the beginning, ironic as the 90 minutes were over. Extra time had to be won, and we knew we could, so no mention of the dreaded P word was given. Within the first minute of extra time, a free kick by the corner by Cole Palmer has deflected out the penalty box, with Robbie Mainoo rescuing the ball and shooting it back into the box with Ivon Toney shooting and a Harry Kane dink of the head put England ahead for the first time this game. The celebrations were epic, with Kane and Bellingham resuming their celebrations together. The main thing was to keep control of the game. Slovika did create some chances which they should have capitalised on; however, with Saka now at left back, our defence on the left was more vulnerable, with the likes of Kyle Walker and John Stone making last-minute ditch attempts to prevent any Slovakian equalisers from bringing it the penalties. There was a final chance for England to make it 3-1 with a run by Cole Palmer deflected off a Slovakian player into the feet of Toney, who just shot it above the goal. 

Though the celebrations in Germany and England were electric, there are some worrying signs that England could not beat another considerably low-ranking team. This does not give them much hope against Switzerland. One can only hope Southgate sees the sub's fantastic performance and makes some unlikely changes for the start or submits earlier. We know our team has the experience and skill to go all the way and the ability to dig deep, but one does not need that stress again. So England goes and wins with an infection goal line. This time, it saves us from having any more heart attacks.

England fan Tommy, who went to the game in Gelsenkirchen, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "We were adjacent with it [Jude Bellingham's goal] and I was with my brother. God bless my brother, he has driven us all the way here, and we nearly didn’t come.

"My brother had a superstition that England would score every time he went to the toilet, and he kept doing that; with the offside goal [Phil Foden's disallowed goal], it happened. "Luckily, he just got back in the stands for Bellingham's goal. I have been to many football matches, and I don’t think I have hugged so many strangers my whole life. 

"It is the best worst game of all time." on BBC Radio 5 Live

Alan Shearer: “No one wants to see us drop deep like that, but we must accept that is how Gareth Southgate wants us to play. Evidence shows that this is who we are and our identity in major finals. The biggest positive from Sunday’s game is that England found a way. Knockout football is just about getting through to the next round regardless of your performance, and somehow - I still don’t know exactly how - we have done that.

Maybe Bellingham’s goal is the spark this team have been looking for.

You always know moments like that can change the whole mood of a tournament because it has happened to England before. As well as Paul Gascoigne’s brilliant goal against Scotland at Euro ’96, the best example is probably David Platt’s last-gasp winner against Belgium at the 1990 World Cup when England started playing.”