GELSENKIRCHEN: England escaped an embarrassing last-16 exit at Euro 2024 thanks to Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick before Harry Kane struck in extra-time to grab a 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday.
The Three Lions have been hyped as one of the favorites as they bid to end a 58-year wait for major tournament glory but looked set to go out with a whimper to Ivan Schranz’s 25th minute goal.
However, Bellingham’s moment of inspiration five minutes into six added on in stoppage time breathed new life into Gareth Southgate’s reign as England boss.
Kane then headed in just a minute into extra-time to set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday.
“That’s the desire and the attitude from the boys. It looked tough for a second there but you keep going,” said Kane. “Jude does what Jude does and what an unbelievable goal.”
Southgate looked set to fall on his sword after steadfastly refusing to make changes to a side that stumbled through as winners of Group C despite scoring just two goals in three games.
Kobbie Mainoo was introduced for his first competitive start in Southgate’s only change and he paid the price with another lacklustre display lacking in any speed or invention for long spells.
“We want to be better,” said Southgate. “I’m not going to hide from that but the spirit and character was there for everybody to see and we’re still in there fighting.”
The one saving grace of England’s performances in the group stage was that a makeshift defense had held up well, conceding just once in three games.
However, they were torn to pieces early on by a Slovakia side ranked 45th in the world.
England did not heed a couple of warnings as David Hancko and Lukas Haraslin were wasteful with big chances.
Slovakia finally punished their more illustrious opponents when David Strelec was given acres of room to turn and play in Schranz, who confidently stroked past Jordan Pickford for his third goal of the tournament.
The half-time whistle was met with a chorus of boos but Southgate still stuck to his guns and did not make a change until 25 minutes to go.
England did at least improve on a dismal first half and had the ball in the net within five minutes of the restart.
Phil Foden turned in Kieran Trippier’s cross but was caught offside after a VAR review.
Slovakia should have doubled their lead shortly afterwards when England gave away possession and Strelec saw Pickford well off his line but failed to hit the target from the halfway line.
Southgate’s hand was finally forced on 66 minutes by an injury to Trippier.
But England still struggled to create and looked down and out when Kane headed wide a golden opportunity and Declan Rice smashed the post with a long-range pot shot.
Southgate was even derided by the England support for bringing on Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing.”
However, there was an incredible twist as Bellingham acrobatically turned home Guehi’s flick-on from a throw-in the final moments of added-on time.
“It’s a feeling that is like no other,” said Bellingham.
“You’re 30 seconds from going home and having to listen to all the rubbish and feeling like you’ve let a nation of people down. In 30 seconds or one kick of the ball everything can change.”
Slovakia were suddenly rattled and Toney was to have a telling contribution.
The Brentford striker headed Eberechi Eze’s mishit shot back across goal for Kane to power home his second goal of the tournament.
Slovakia should still have taken the game to penalties when full-back Peter Pekarik failed to turn in a dangerous driven cross from point-blank range.
But England live to fight another day come the quarter-final against an impressive Switzerland, who comfortably knocked out holders Italy 2-0 on Saturday.
Bellingham, Kane rescue England from shock Euro 2024 exit to Slovakia
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Bellingham, Kane rescue England from shock Euro 2024 exit to Slovakia
- Three Lions looked set to go out with a whimper to Ivan Schranz’s 25th minute goal
Six athletes, including one woman, in Palestine team for Paris Olympics
- Much of the Palestinians’ sporting infrastructure, clubs and institutions have been destroyed and Gaza-based athletes have been forced to leave to train
PARIS: Six athletes, including one woman, were selected to represent Palestine at the Paris Olympics, an official from the Palestinian Olympic Committee told The Associated Press on Monday.
The athletes will compete in boxing, judo, swimming, shooting and taekwondo, said Nader Jayousi, the technical director at the Palestinian Olympic Committee.
Jayousi said there was a remote possibility a seventh athlete in track and field could be added.
At the Tokyo Games, Palestine sent five athletes in swimming, track and field, weightlifting and judo. Barring injuries, the POC will have more athletes in Paris despite the war between Israel and Hamas that has brought the sports movement to a brutal halt since last October.
Contacted by The Associated Press, the IOC declined to comment on the Palestinian selection, recalling the athlete entries’ deadline for Paris is on July 8. The Olympics begin on July 24.
Only one Palestinian athlete — taekwondo fighter Omar Ismail — has directly qualified for Paris.
Jayousi said the others will be competing in France under a wild card system delivered as part of the universality quota places. Backed by the International Olympic Committee, it allows athletes who represent poorer nations with less-established sports programs to compete, even though they did not meet the sporting criteria.
Alongside Ismail, Jorge Antonio Salhe will compete in shooting, Yazan Al Bawwab and Valerie Tarazi in swimming, Fares Badawi in judo, and Wasim Abusal in boxing. Al Bawwab competed in Tokyo.
According to Palestinian officials, about 300 athletes, referees, coaches and others working in sports have died since the war started. Among them was long-distance runner Majed Abu Maraheel, the first Palestinian to compete in the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. He died of kidney failure after he was unable to be treated in Gaza and could not be evacuated to Egypt.
Much of the Palestinians’ sporting infrastructure, clubs and institutions have been destroyed and Gaza-based athletes have been forced to leave to train.
Only 26 athletes have represented Palestine in Olympics’ history.
Malen doubles up as Dutch beat Romania to reach Euro 2024 quarters
- Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch the lead but they missed a host of chances before Malen hit a brace
- Dutch will play either Turkiye or Austria in the last eight
MUNICH, Germany: The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 as Donyell Malen scored twice in a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to convert pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.
Romania were gritty but out-classed, lacking the quality to punish their opponents’ profligacy before Malen added his second on the counter in stoppage-time.
The victory put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final clash with Turkiye or Austria, who beat the Netherlands in 3-2 in the group stage.
“We played a good game. I’m very pleased. Especially after the last game we needed a reaction and today was a good step in the right direction,” Gakpo said.
“We talked a lot about the aggression, the intensity and defending like a team. It was a good step.
“Sacrifice something for each other and work really hard to be at your best. Good game overall.”
Ronald Koeman’s side will need to improve their effectiveness in front of goal should they wish to emulate their manager, who was a player for the Dutch when they won the 1988 Euros on German soil.
Prior to the game, Netherlands’ captain Virgil van Dijk said his side lacked energy and the “will to win” in the loss to Austria.
But the Dutch were still strangely flat in the early stages despite Van Dijk’s rallying cry.
Group E winners Romania, whose 3-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening game, was just their second ever win in the Euros, pinned the Dutch back early.
Romania went close when Dennis Man latched onto a superb diagonal ball from Nicolae Stanciu, but the Parma winger blasted over.
The Dutch broke Romania’s momentum shortly after when Gakpo got on the end of a sweeping move to open the scoring on 20 minutes.
Jerdy Schouten sliced a perfect, long pass through the midfield to Xavi Simons, who found Gakpo on the left flank.
Gakpo eluded Andrei Ratiu and seemed to catch goalkeeper Florin Nita off-guard, blasting in at the near post.
The goal ignited a period of Dutch dominance, Stefan de Vrij heading inches wide five minutes later.
The Netherlands wasted a perfect chance to double their lead with half-time approaching when Denzel Dumfries picked Bogdan Racovitan’s pocket and found Simons, who got tangled up and failed to get a decent shot away.
Koeman’s team squandered an array of opportunities early in the second half.
Memphis Depay and van Dijk went agonizingly close before Gakpo’s second was ruled out by VAR for offside.
With every missed chance, the nerves in the Dutch camp seemed to grow, but Romania lacked the quality to truly punish them.
Gakpo, the most impressive man in orange, took matters into his own hands with seven minutes remaining, dribbling through a crowded penalty area and finding Malen who tapped home.
“We work very hard with each other to do our best and I’m happy I could assist Donnie with his goal today,” Gakpo said.
With Romania launching a final attack, Malen broke through on the counter and slid the ball into the goal in the fourth minute of stoppage-time to seal the victory.
Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round
- The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set
LONDON: Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle on Tuesday, going down in four sets to Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.
The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set but lost momentum early in the third and went down to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) defeat.
Rublev, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, struggled for consistency on his serve and was broken four times in the match by his opponent, ranked 122nd in the world.
The 26-year-old, who smashed his racquet repeatedly against his knee in frustration in the third set, is the highest-seeded men’s player to exit the Championships so far.
Comesana will face Australia’s Adam Walton for a place in the last 32.
Ronaldo says he is playing his ‘last European Championship’
- Portugal superstar is playing at the Euros for a record sixth time and has helped his country reach the quarterfinals
HAMBURG, Germany: Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed this year’s European Championship will be the last of his career.
The Portugal superstar, who is 39, is playing at the Euros for a record sixth time and has helped his country reach the quarterfinals — where Kylian Mbappe and France await in Hamburg on Friday.
Speaking to Portuguese public broadcaster RTP after the penalty-shootout victory over Slovenia on Monday, Ronaldo said: “It is, without doubt, my last European Championship.
“But I’m not emotional about that. I’m moved by all that football means — by the enthusiasm I have for the game, the enthusiasm for seeing my supporters, my family, the affection people have for me.”
Ronaldo, who is one of the most prolific scorers in football history and has a record 14 goals at European Championships, said his main motivation now was “making people happy.” He was reduced to tears during the Slovenia game after having a penalty saved in extra time.
“It’s not about leaving the world of football,” he said. “What else is there for me to do or win? It’s not going to come down to one point more or one point less.”
Andy Murray playing only doubles at his last Wimbledon after surgery
- Two-time singles champion is entered in doubles at the All England Club with his older brother, Jamie
LONDON: Two-time singles champion Andy Murray will play only doubles at his last Wimbledon after recent surgery.
He was due to play in the first round of singles on Tuesday but withdrew just hours beforehand.
Murray had surgery on June 22 to remove a cyst from his spinal cord, and his management team announced the withdrawal in the morning.
He is entered in doubles at the All England Club with his older brother, Jamie.
The 37-year-old Andy has said he wants to retire after the Paris Olympics, which start later this month.
Murray has dealt with injuries in recent years, including a bad hip that required two procedures.
He stopped playing during a second-round match at the grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club in London last month because he was having trouble walking. He later explained that the cyst was compressing a nerve in his back and leaving his right leg numb.
