England Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest news and updates as Jude Bellingham faces possible ban over gesture
Follow all the latest news and updates after Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane spared England’s blushes in the last-16 win over Slovakia
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Uefa is to investigate England’s Jude Bellingham for potential indecent conduct after he was seen grabbing his crotch while looking at the crowd following a last-16 victory over Slovakia at Euro 2024.
England enjoyed the narrowest of lucky escapes to secure a 2-1 win, after a last-gasp bicycle kick by Bellingham took the match to extra time, before Harry Kane headed home the winner.
While Bellingham’s aggressive goal celebration was clearly an angry message to England fans, the crotch gesture was viewed by some spectators as an insult to Slovakia. Bellingham, however, said on social media that he was having a laugh with friends.
“An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight,” he said.
England will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals after they knocked out defending champions Italy with a 2-0 win on Saturday.
Southgate has a number of questions to answer ahead of the quarter-final, and will face an anxious wait over the fitness of Kieran Trippier, who was contending with injury in the build up to the game, and was taken off in the 66th minute after a heavy challenge.
Follow all the latest updates and reaction after England’s last-16 fixture below.
‘Outstanding’ Swiss present big tactical challenge, admits Southgate
“You build on the spirit that they’ve shown, the belief that they’ll have gained from that,” Southgate said.
“Equally, we’re not naive. We’re going to play a team that have looked outstanding, not just in this tournament but for quite a while as well. That’s going to be a big tactical challenge for us.
“We know that the level of our game will need to be higher, but there was a spirit and there was a togetherness that has been building.
“We’ve had a lot of problems to solve through this whole lead into the camp, through the tournament.
“We’re putting a plaster over different things and giving young players opportunities. We’re somehow finding a way.
“I can imagine how everybody is going to react to that, even though we’ve won. But we’re still in there and the one thing that can’t be questioned is the desire, the commitment, the character.”
‘Outstanding’ Swiss present big tactical challenge, admits Southgate
Gareth Southgate knows stumbling but spirited England have to raise their game if they are to stand a chance of beating “outstanding” Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.
A trip to Dusseldorf awaits after Jude Bellingham came to the rescue with a 95th-minute overhead equaliser against wily Slovakia on Sunday before Harry Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win.
England were seconds away from their tournament coming to an end in humiliating fashion, only to squeak through to a fourth successive major quarter-final under Southgate.
The fighting spirit was as impressive as their overall performance was alarming in Gelsenkirchen, with far better needed from the Euro 2020 runners-up against the Swiss on Saturday.
Swiss present huge tactical challenge, admits Southgate
Gareth Southgate knows stumbling but spirited England have to raise their game if they are to stand a chance of beating “outstanding” Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.
A trip to Dusseldorf awaits after Jude Bellingham came to the rescue with a 95th-minute overhead equaliser against wily Slovakia on Sunday before Harry Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win.
England were seconds away from their tournament coming to an end in humiliating fashion, only to squeak through to a fourth successive major quarter-final under Southgate.
The fighting spirit was as impressive as their overall performance was alarming in Gelsenkirchen, with far better needed from the Euro 2020 runners-up against the Swiss on Saturday.
Pickford hails England’s ‘golden boy’
“It was a roller coaster,” Pickford said back at England’s Blankenhain basecamp on Monday.
“I said in the pre-match interview it’s not how you play, you’ve got to show resilience and it’s about just winning the match and that’s what we did. Went into the trenches and we came out the other side.
“You’ve got two superstars, Jude and Harry, and they’ve come up with the goods.
“Jude, golden boy, again with the overhead kick to keep us in the game, keep us in the tournament.
“But we never say die, and that’s what it was last night. A roller coaster but we got over the line.”
Pickford hails England’s ‘golden boy’
Jordan Pickford lauded “golden boy” Jude Bellingham after he rescued England’s Euro 2024 campaign in the roller-coaster last-16 clash against Slovakia.
After winning Group C in unconvincing fashion, the Euro 2020 runners-up were on the brink of a humiliating exit akin to Iceland eight years ago in what would almost certainly have been Gareth Southgate’s last match.
England looked set to fail in their bid to cancel out Ivan Schranz’s opener for wily Slovakia, with Phil Foden seeing a goal ruled out for offside by the VAR, Harry Kane wasting a great chance and Declan Rice hitting a post.
But Real Madrid star Bellingham scored a jaw-dropping leveller five minutes into stoppage time, with his overhead kick followed by a Kane header early in extra time as Southgate’s side won 2-1.
Pickford hails England’s ‘golden boy’
A quarter-final against Switzerland is the reward for England after a Bellingham-inspired turnaround that made headlines and will live long in the memory.
“Ninety-fifth minute and I think there was six minutes added time, so probably one of the last kicks in the game,” Pickford said of the equaliser.
“For Jude to come up with that, something special from Walks’ [Kyle Walker] long throw, we mixed our game up well, and to get the equaliser to go into extra time was massive.
“It was an unbelievable moment. But then you start thinking ‘is VAR going to come into play?’ or anything like that.
“Because after the equaliser with Phil, then VAR came in and it kind of deflates you, like I said.
“But that emotion, that buzz around the place. Slovakia must have thought they had it in the bag.
“Then we had to step on the gas in extra time, which we did early doors with Harry getting that second goal. Then it was about our mentality to see the game out.”
Uefa investigates Bellingham over lewd gesture
Bellingham posted on X about the gesture in the hours after the match, saying: “An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”
The Football Association has also been charged over a “lack of order or discipline” from supporters and over fans lighting fireworks.
Albania player Mirlind Daku was given a two-match ban after being found guilty of four breaches of UEFA disciplinary rules earlier in the tournament, after he picked up a megaphone to lead his country’s fans in nationalistic chanting.
Based on how UEFA has dealt with similar offences to Bellingham’s in the past a suspension would be highly unlikely, and it may be that after seeking observations from the 21-year-old the investigator may decide there is insufficient evidence to bring a charge.
Bellingham’s goal forced extra time, with Harry Kane scoring England’s winner early on in the additional period to complete the comeback.
Uefa investigates Bellingham over lewd gesture
England midfielder Jude Bellingham is being investigated by UEFA over a gesture he made after scoring a late equaliser against Slovakia.
The Real Madrid star appeared to gesture toward the Slovakian bench after his overhead kick brought England level in the dying seconds of injury time in Gelsenkirchen.
UEFA released a statement on Monday which said: “A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector will conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of the basic rules of decent conduct by the English Football Association player, Jude Bellingham, having allegedly occurred in the scope of this match.
“Information on this matter will be made available in due course.”
Harry Kane: England squad closer than ever after dramatic win
Switzerland are next up for England, who will travel for Saturday’s tie in Dusseldorf with renewed vigour following the Slovakia win.
“It’s going to be a tough game but every game in this tournament is tough,” added Kane.
“The Swiss have had a great tournament so far. Beating Italy is not easy. We’ll expect another tough game. But we’ll do what we always do, we’ll prepare during the week, analyse the game just gone and look at Switzerland and what they do well and where their weaknesses are and we’ll try to exploit that.
“But each game is different, scenarios are different, things might happen and you have to find a way to overcome that.”
Harry Kane: England squad closer than ever after dramatic win
Kane may have scored the clinching goal, the 65th of his England career, but he was full of praise for Bellingham’s strike.
The Real Madrid man had struggled to make an impact for much of Sunday evening at the Veltins Arena only to arrive on the scene to score with a stunning volley.
“It was an unbelievable goal and to do that in that moment speaks volumes to him as a guy and his mentality,” Kane said of the 21-year-old.
“That finish and that moment was special. That summed Jude’s season up. What he’s done at Madrid in his first season. We said in the bus afterwards that it couldn’t just be a tap-in at the back post, it had to be something special.
“That sums up who he is and what he’s done this year especially. What a finish and then it’s that relief, then you’re buzzing but you’ve still got another 30 minutes to play. I thought we handled that well.
“Knockout goals are some of the best feelings you will ever score in your career. They’re just so important. We know what it means to people watching back home and in the stadium. I remember watching major tournaments growing up and they’re special moments.
“Jude’s one and my one, they are ones you repeat, you watch back, you see fans reacting in the crowd, you see clips of the fans back in the pubs and the boxparks and all that.
“You’re proud to make people that happy. Of course they mean more if you go all the way and if you go on to win it they will become even more special.”
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