The Slovaks have never beaten a team from the cradle of football, they have managed only one goalless draw out of six matches so far, and that was at the Euros eight years ago. However, this time they were very close to winning. The opponents allowed themselves to have a large advantage in possession of the ball, but the goalkeeper Dúbravka, who knows most of the English stars well as Newcastle’s goalkeeper, kept a clean sheet for a long time without any major problems.
Coach Calzona’s men threatened three times during the opening quarter of an hour. Kucka and Strelec ran behind the defense during the free kick, but collided at the decisive moment. Immediately following, Hancko missed the goal from an angle and Haraslín’s escape was blocked by the defenders. The English defense did not avoid mistakes and Guéhi lost the quarter-finals due to a yellow card in the third minute.
In the 25th minute, he chased Schranz in vain, who stopped the fight with him and cold-bloodedly converted Strelc’s pass. The attacker, who did not score a goal in the entire qualification, ranked among the best scorers in the tournament with three hits. Even in the fourth game, the Slovaks opened the scoring at the Euros. English attempts did not keep goalkeeper Dúbravka busy for a long time.
In the 50th minute, the English made the first quick break, but Foden’s goal joy was taken away by the video referee, who confirmed offside. At the other end, Strelec noticed that goalkeeper Pickford was standing far in front and narrowly missed the right post from halfway.
The English eleven, four years younger on average, dominated more and more on the pitch, they played practically only in the Slovakian half, but the finish was still missing. Kane’s header was wide once more and Rice hit the post from distance.
The Slovaks were already within reach of a sensational advance before Bellingham’s scissors cut through the air. It was England’s first shot to hit the post and produced the best goal of the tournament so far.
And right following the game was restarted, the second shot came and once more ended up in the net. Captain Kane headed this time following Toney’s extension. It was the 65th international goal for England’s record goalscorer.
Slovak players did not give up, even though their biggest attacking assets were already sitting on the bench. Pekarík, at 37, the oldest player on the field, came close to equalizing. Liberec attacker Tupta tried to revive the offensive. The favorite was only defending a narrow lead, but he had already taken care of the progress.
Coach Calzona declared that he was proud of the team despite the elimination. “We played a balanced game once morest a team whose value is huge. We played the second half of extra time practically in their half, there is nothing to add to that,” he said in an interview with Markíza TV.
Bellingham, who celebrated his 21st birthday the day before the game, was named player of the match. “You’re thirty seconds away from going home. You feel like you’ve let the nation down, but one kick of the ball and everything’s great,” he said following the game, adding: “It’s a feeling I don’t want to experience anymore, but when it comes out like that, it’s that’s wonderful. We might have been more precise in the finish, but the team showed they have character.”
Kane also praised him. “Jude scored an incredible goal and kept us alive. He’s one of the best footballers we’ve ever had,” said the captain, who himself completed the turnaround with the second goal.
