Football News Update: England to Face Slovakia in Euro 2024 Last 16
In the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, England will take on Slovakia in the last 16, with the two teams set to meet in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. The winner of this match will face either Switzerland or Italy in the next round.
Gareth Southgate’s England side has faced significant criticism following their performances in the group stage, where they managed just one win and two draws in their three matches. However, the team still topped Group C and now finds themselves on what appears to be the easier side of the draw.
“They defended well. We weren’t able to find the right pass,” Southgate said after the 0-0 draw against Slovenia, before adding: “We’re improving. I didn’t think that with how everything that happened after the last game that they would suddenly be free and liberated and stick four or five goals in. Football doesn’t work that way. But I saw progress. The goals will come.”
Slovakia, on the other hand, qualified for the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides, having finished behind Romania and Belgium in the tight Group E, in which all teams finished on four points. They started their Euro 2024 campaign with a shock 1-0 win over Belgium before facing defeat against Ukraine and a draw with Romania.
“I am happy with the progression to the last 16, it was important,” said Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona.
This will be Slovakia’s third consecutive appearance in the European Championships. They reached the last 16 in 2016 and exited at the group stage in the last edition of the tournament.
The match between England and Slovakia promises to be an intriguing encounter, with both teams looking to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
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