England Triumphs Over Slovakia 2-1 in Overtime: Kane’s Decisive Strike and Bellingham’s Eleventh-Hour Brilliance Propel Three Lions to the Quarterfinals

Gareth Southgate’s band looked destined for an early Euro 2024 departure, only for Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to turn the tide for England.

Jude Bellingham snatched England’s Euro 2024 dreams from the brink, and Harry Kane’s extra-time strike sealed a 2-1 comeback victory against Slovakia in Sunday’s knockout match.

Gareth Southgate’s squad seemed poised for an untimely exit in Gelsenkirchen, following Ivan Schranz’s early strike, his third of the tournament.

Though Phil Foden’s equalizer was swiftly annulled post-half-time, and Declan Rice hit the woodwork late on, Bellingham executed a stunning overhead kick in the last gasp of stoppage time.

Kane converted from up close only 50 seconds into extra time, marking the quickest goal in the Euros’ history of such timings, clinching victory and setting up a clash with Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

Early into the game, Marc Guehi’s booking ensured his absence from the forthcoming quarterfinal, while Slovakia came threateningly close twice in the early exchanges.

David Hancko aimed a near-miss, and England was almost undone when Lukas Haraslin’s deflected shot nearly eluded Jordan Pickford.

At 25 minutes, England’s lackadaisical defense allowed David Strelec to assist Schranz, who outmaneuvered Guehi and poked the ball into the bottom-left corner.

Minutes post-intermission, England thought they had leveled through Foden, but offside rulings from Kieran Trippier’s altruistic cross turned the celebration sour.

Shortly after, John Stones was caught napping during a short free-kick, nearly allowing Strelec to chip Pickford from mid-pitch.

Cole Palmer stepped in after 66 minutes, replacing an out-of-sorts Bukayo Saka. However, this swap barely shifted England’s fortunes.

Kane missed a prime chance from Foden’s free-kick, while a powerful drive by Rice clattered the frame of the goal — but it was Bellingham who was destined to be the savior.

Kyle Walker’s long throw found Guehi, who teed up Bellingham to execute an extraordinary overhead kick from the penalty spot, keeping England’s hopes alive as the clock wound down.

Celebration escalated just moments into extra time when Eberechi Eze’s stumbled volley met Ivan Toney, whose flick set Kane up for a point-blank header past Dubravka.

Peter Pekarik had a golden chance to equalize but astonishingly lifted the ball over from close range as England edged into the quarterfinals after a nail-biting finish at Arena AufSchalke.

England hangs on, just barely

Kane, now with 79 caps, surpassed Peter Shilton’s record in what seemed a bittersweet milestone at first glance.

Despite England’s historical edge over Slovakia and unlike their 2016 debacle against Iceland, the Lions lacked bite. Yet Bellingham emerged as the newfound hero, scoring at the very brink, marking the latest Euros goal for England.

This paved the stage for Kane to complete an impressive comeback, scoring his 14th goal in major tournaments — only four European players have netted more.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Miroslav Klose, Gerd Muller, and Jurgen Klinsmann are the elites ahead, and Kane eyes catching up to them as England prepares for Switzerland.

In vain, heroic Schranz

Schranz has turned heads at Euro 2024, matching his career goals for Slovakia in just a few games. This places him as the joint lead scorer,

although his efforts couldn’t thwart England’s late rally, Slovakia bowed out despite a valiant fight and critical acclaim.