Top of the group, unbeaten and on the favorable side of the draw for the knockout phase of the UEFA Euro 2024, so it is a case of job done for England at this stage of the tournament.
However, fans jeered loudly and threw beer cups as the final whistle blew on a 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Cologne Stadium in Germany on Tuesday.
Criticism of England’s performances in Germany has been fierce.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve not seen any team qualify and receive similar,” England manager Gareth Southgate said.
Southgate said that he and his team could be paying the price for their success under his leadership. Safe passage through to the round of 16 maintains his personal record of advancing from the group stage of every major tournament he has taken charge of, dating back to the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
“I think probably expectation [is different]. We’ve made England over the last six or seven years fun again. I think it has been enjoyable for the players,” Southgate said. “We’ve got to be very, very careful that it stays that way.”
Photo: AP
England have not been fun to watch at these Euros with a 1-0 win against Serbia their only victory in Group C. That was followed by a 1-1 draw with Denmark and the scoreless draw with Slovenia.
Three games, two goals and a whole lot of underwhelmed fans.
The atmosphere at the game was hardly helped by plastic beer cups being thrown on the field as Southgate and his players went to applaud England supporters after the match.
“I’m not going to back down from going over and thanking the fans who were brilliant during the game,” Southgate said. “They might feel differently towards me, but for me, we only will succeed if we are together.”
England are to play one of the best third-place teams in the next round after advancing as group winners.
Denmark and Serbia themselves on Tuesday played out a goalless draw, with the result eliminating Serbia.
“That was the aim before the start of the tournament. Come top of the group and control our destiny,” England captain Harry Kane said.
The England result also meant Slovenia reached the round of 16 for the first time.
“We are such a small country, with such a big heart and mental strength. That’s why I’m very proud of my team,” Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek said. “This is only the beginning for a new and beautiful era for Slovenian football.”
Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe scored his first goal of the Euros, but France drew 1-1 with Poland to finish runners-up in Group D behind Austria, who beat the Netherlands 3-2.
The Netherlands advanced as one of the best third-place teams, while Poland exited.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS