Slovakia looked like they were going to cause another shock at Euro 2024, but England come from behind to reach the quarter-finals. Look back at the best facts and analyse the Opta data with our England vs Slovakia stats page.
England set up a European Championship quarter-final tie with Switzerland next weekend, but it was far from pretty for Gareth Southgate and his side.
Minutes from sleepwalking into a disastrous Euro 2024 exit at the hands of unfancied Slovakia, England hadn’t even attempted a shot on target until Jude Bellingham rescued them with a 95th-minute overhead kick to take the game to extra-time, before Harry Kane scored the winner with their next shot on target in the opening minute of the extra period.
After a thoroughly uninspiring group stage – despite topping Group C – England needed to put down a marker in this match to justify themselves as one of the favourites for Euro 2024. As it turned out, their first-half performance in this game was their worst yet.
It took 25 minutes for England to fall behind for the first time at the tournament, and it was a deserved opener for Slovakia. Ivan Schranz netted his third goal of the tournament, after previously opening the scoring in group games against Belgium and Ukraine. At that point, Schranz had score more goals individually than England had managed as an entire team.
Now joint-top scorer in these finals, he trails only Robert Vittek’s four goals at the 2010 World Cup for the most scored by a player for Slovakia at a single edition of a major tournament. His goalscoring touch has found him at the perfect time, too. Coming into this tournament, he’d only scored three times in 22 caps for his country, but he’s now doubled that in four games this summer in Germany.
England grew into the game during the remainder of the first half but offered little threat going forward. It was the first time they’d failed to record a shot on target in the first half of a knockout-stage game at a major tournament since the 1986 World Cup quarter-final versus Argentina.
That game 38 years ago was eventually decided by the infamous ‘Hand of God’ and England were very much in need of divine intervention if they were to stay in this tournament.
It was widely expected that half-time would bring changes to the England lineup. Unbelievably, considering the Three Lions’ meek first-half performance, Southgate decided to keep things the same as the second half began.
England thought they’d equalised five minutes into the second period, but Phil Foden strayed offside before converting Kieran Tripper’s cross.
It took Southgate 66 minutes before making a change in personnel, and even that was enforced following Tripper’s injury. Cole Palmer – who many believed should have made the starting lineup after such a strong club season at Chelsea and a decent cameo against Slovenia – came on, but it meant Bukayo Saka had to drop to left-back.
Declan Rice hit the post with a shot from outside the box, and Kane was unable to convert the rebound.
England didn’t come any closer until Bellingham’s sensational strike to break Slovakian hearts. At 94 minutes and 34 seconds, it was England’s latest-ever goal in regulation time of a European Championship match, and it ended a run of 272 minutes without a goal at these finals for the Three Lions.
It took just 50 seconds into extra-time for England to take the lead for the first time in the game, with Kane heading home from close range after sub Ivan Toney’s clever header across goal to him.
Kane has now scored 14 goals at major tournaments (World Cup/Euros), with only four European players netting more than him – Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Miroslav Klose (19), Gerd Müller (18) and Jürgen Klinsmann (16).
After performing poorly for most of this match, like in the three games before it, luck was on England’s side today. They’ll hope that their luck continues, because they’ll need all of it if they play like this again.
They were seconds away from comparisons being drawn to their disastrous exit at this stage of Euro 2016 against unfancied Iceland. When Iceland defeated England at Euro 2016, just 23 places separated the two sides in the FIFA Rankings.
Slovakia currently sit 45th, 40 places below England. The coach back then, Roy Hodgson, resigned within an hour of that game finishing. Luckily for Southgate, his players were able to provide two moments that pulled them through and undoubtedly kept him in a job.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the England vs Slovakia stats from their Euro 2024 last-16 clash at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
England vs Slovakia: Post-Match Facts
- England have won their last four games having conceded first at the UEFA European Championship, after losing their first six such matches. Only France (5) have won more games after conceding first in the competition’s history.
- Jude Bellingham’s equaliser at 94:34 was England’s first shot on target against Slovakia. It was also their latest ever goal scored in normal time at a major tournament (World Cup/Euros).
- Harry Kane’s goal to put England 2-1 ahead was the fastest ever goal scored in extra time at the UEFA European Championship (50 seconds). The Three Lions have now scored the fastest extra time goal at both the Euros and the FIFA World Cup (first minute against Belgium in 1954).
- Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz is the joint top scorer at Euro 2024 with three goals. Only Robert Vittek (4) at the 2010 World Cup has netted more at a single major tournament for Slovakia.
- Slovakia’s 13 shots produced an expected goals total of 2.09, which is a higher xG than England conceded from 26 shots in the group stages of EURO 2024 (1.15).
- There were five cards shown in the first half of England (3 yellows) v Slovakia (2 yellows), the most in the first half of a UEFA European Championship knockout stage match since Italy v Netherlands in the EURO 2000 semi-final (4 yellows, 1 red).
- England’s three yellow cards within the first 17 minutes is the earliest a side has been shown three cards on record (since 1980) in a single match at the UEFA European Championship.
- Captain Harry Kane made his 79th competitive appearance for England, more than any other player in the history of the men’s national team.
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