England, qualified before kick-off, managed neither to convince nor beat Slovenia on Tuesday in Cologne (0-0), in the last match of Group C in which it nevertheless finished in first place. The Slovenes, 3rd in the group, also qualified for the round of 16, a first in their history during which they had never made it out of a group during a major tournament. In 8th, the “Three Lions” could face the Netherlands, 3rd in group D, but we will have to wait for the results of the last group matches on Wednesday to know their opponent with certainty.
But the status of favorites in the competition seems difficult to assume for Jude Bellingham’s partners, sparkling all season with Real Madrid and once again disappointing with his selection. Too predictable, not explosive enough: neither he nor any other of his teammates managed to really endanger a Slovenian team that was perfectly in place defensively.
By trying to counterattack, the Slovenians nevertheless exposed their offensive limits, only approaching the goal of Jordan Pickford, the English goalkeeper, on too rare – sterile – occasions. 3rd in this group of boredom in which Danes and Serbs, in the other meeting on Tuesday, did not manage to decide between themselves or to score the slightest goal, their happiness was elsewhere when at the final whistle, they exploded with joy, communing for long minutes with their supporters who came in large numbers.
On the other hand, the English fans had deserted the stadium, brooding over another poor performance from theirs, whose day of glory they are desperately awaiting. The day before the match, Gareth Southgate, the England coach, had promised that this day was near, asking for calm and a little patience from the demanding followers of the Three Lions. It missed. Braced in a system in which he seems the last to believe, he risks, until the 8th final, suffering the wind of revolt against him, which continues to grow in the country.
Southgate still has a few days of reprieve to reverse the trend and succeed in a tournament that we saw him winning before it started. The Slovenes have already achieved this.
