By Sergio Silva
Jun 30, 2024, 16:10 PM EDT
When everything seemed to be decided and the England team was preparing to say goodbye, Jude Bellingham appeared to make a statement and lead a reaction that led the English to victory (2-1) and to the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup Germany 2024.
The midfielder of the real Madrid and one of the main figures of the English team, showed off his skill by scoring a bicycle kick in the 95th minute to equalise against Slovakia (1-1) which forced extra time where those led by Gareth Southgate finished securing their passage to the quarter-finals.
“We were 30 seconds away from going home feeling like we had let down an entire country, but after that shot everything changed. It’s a great moment but it’s a very long tournament and we’ll only know how big this moment is in the next two weeks.”commented Jude Bellingham.
After the slap that the Slovenian team received at the close of regulation time, which had gone ahead in the first half thanks to a goal scored by Ivan Schranz (m.25) after a great counterattack that dismantled the English defense, ended up reaching the decisive moment.
It was during the first minutes of the first overtime and featured the captain, Harry Kane, who ended up receiving the biggest prize after a game in which he never tired of searching for the rival goal. The Bayern Munich striker was in charge of making the victory 2-1.
Ivan Toney sent in a cross from the left that was headed in by the English ‘9’ (m.91) who in front of goal only had to connect with the ball past a Slovakian goalkeeper who had already been beaten and thus put the England team in the lead, which then dedicated itself to holding on to the result.
The English, current runners-up of the tournament, have qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Championship in successive stages for the first time in their history. With the lead on the scoreboard and practically all of extra time ahead of them, Southgate took charge of strengthening the defence.
And although Slovakia were able to keep possession of the ball in the final minutes, they came up against an unstoppable wall led by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to secure a victory that leaves the Three Lions with a very good feeling due to their ability to come from behind.
In this way, the England National Team will prepare to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 next Saturday in Düsseldorf with its sights set on reaching the semifinals again and aiming to try to win the ticket for the final on December 14. July in Berlin.
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