England's change in fortune was difficult to comprehend writes OLIVER HOLT. Gareth Southgate's side did not deserve a reprieve but in Jude Bellingham they have star quality which cannot be extinguished

England dramatically beat Slovakia in the last-16 of Euro 2024 in Gelsenkirchen 

When all seemed lost, when England seemed to be falling to the most ignominious of defeats and Gareth Southgate was preparing his goodbyes, when there was just one minute of added time left, Jude Bellingham launched himself into the air and swung his right foot.

Bellingham has the kind of star quality that cannot be extinguished and as the ball sped from his foot into the net, it was worth remembering that he turned 21 on Saturday. We may have got used to calling him a kid but he’s not a kid anymore. He’s The Man.

England supporters, who had stuck by their team magnificently throughout the match, had been singing The Great Escape and now they knew they may just have witnessed the greatest England escape of all.

Southgate’s side really did not deserve a reprieve. Let’s not rewrite history: for much of a dismal performance, they had looked artless, guileless and clueless. But at least they did not give up. They stayed in it just long enough for Bellingham to work his magic.

His goal took the game into extra time. It had barely begun when Eberechi Eze volleyed the ball into the ground on the edge of the Slovakia box. It bounced to Ivan Toney, who nodded it intelligently back into the danger area and Kane ran on to it and powered home a header for his 65th England goal.

England dramatically beat Slovakia 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Sunday

Harry Kane's extra-time strike capped a remarkable turnaround from England in Gelsenkirchen

Kane headed home from just a few yards out after substitute Ivan Toney flicked the ball on

Minutes earlier, Gareth Southgate's side had looked to be heading out after an awful display

And so all the obituaries and the demolition jobs on Southgate and this team that came into this tournament carrying so much expectation will have to wait, at least until Saturday, when England will play a fine Switzerland team for a place in the semi-finals. It will be the manager’s 100th game in charge of his country.

England will have to raise their level considerably to get past the Swiss, who cantered past Italy on Saturday. But somehow, Southgate’s team keep finding a way. And gradually, they keep evolving.

Cole Palmer came on midway through the second half here at the AufSchalke Arena and showed enough invention and ambition to keep his place for the quarter-finals. For much of normal time, he and Kobbie Mainoo were islands excellence in a river of mediocrity.

But they’re still here. They have a player like Bellingham, who can produce goals out of nothing. They have Mainoo. They have Palmer. They have Harry Kane, who scored the winner early in extra time. Maybe, one day, they will even find some belief.

Because things can change. By the end of the match, the England fans had cast off their disillusion and were singing lustily. ‘Don’t take me home,’ they yelled, ‘please don’t take me home.’ How quickly things change. Their next stop is Dusseldorf and that meeting with the Swiss.

The change in fortune was difficult to comprehend. England looked beleaguered even before the kick-off. Camera footage showed them walking into their changing room looking as if they were going to meet their doom. There was not a smile or a joke among them.

In the warm-up, Jordan Pickford appeared to have injured his finger saving a shot. Every now and again, he grimaced when he saved a shot. He took his glove off to look at it and shook his head. Some wondered whether he would emerge for the start of the game.

Jude Bellingham equalised with England's first shot on target of the game in the 95th minute

Bellingham produced a moment of magic as his bicycle kick beat Martin Dubravka

Ivan Schranz had given Slovakia the lead after 25 minutes as England's defence was cut open

Schranz finished cooly past Jordan Pickford to net his third goal in four games at Euro 2024

He did but when the match started, it soon became evident some of his teammates had failed to turn up. England were second best from the opening minute. Kieran Trippier sold Guehi short with a pass, Guehi tripped his man and was booked.

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In the seventh minute, Mainoo, who had been chosen to start ahead of Conor Gallagher, was booked, too, this time for a stamp on Slovakia defender in the Slovak box. It was an awful beginning for England and it did not get better.

Lukas Haraslin seemed to scare England rigid every time he got the ball. Which was often. He found space again and played in David Hancko, who rolled a diagonal ball across the face of goal that was begging for a final touch. Luckily for England, there was no one there to apply it.

England managed a rare moment of threat when Bellingham swept a fine ball across the face of the area for Trippier to run on to but Trippier got so far underneath it that he hit it almost comically high over the bar. It will populate memes for years and years.

Next, Walker was caught out by a ball played inside him to Haraslin, who got in front of him and ran through on goal. Haraslin got his shot away, it was half blocked by Guehi and was dribbling towards the line when it hacked clear by Trippier.

Kyle Walker and Declan Rice remonstrated with each other after Slovakia's early goal

Slovakia defended resolutely throughout most of the game until Bellingham's last-gasp strike

Southgate was left with plenty to ponder as the Three Lions were booed off by fans at half-time

Haraslin was causing England endless problems. He nutmegged Walker and then pushed the ball past Bellingham and when Bellingham sent him flying, the referee booked the Real Madrid midfielder, too.

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A Kane header was deflected wide and Mainoo volleyed over but everything England did looked half-hearted and defeated. They were disjointed and detached. They did not look as if they believed they could score.

Slovakia took a deserved lead after 25 minutes. Guehi was beaten to a header midway inside the England half and David Strelec ran at the England defence and played a superb reverse pass into the path of Ivan Schranz.

Guehi tried to recover and get close enough to Schranz to get in a tackle but he could not. Schranz, who had been played onside by Kyle Walker, slotted it nervelessly past Pickford. England were playing like a rabble.

Only Mainoo could be excused from that in the first half. He played with the drive, the enthusiasm and the purpose that others lacked and he led a brief England rally at the end of the first half that was enough to instil some hope that things might improve after the break.

Phil Foden thought he had equalised early in the second half but his effort was ruled out

Foden was too eager and was ahead of the play when Kieran Trippier squared the ball across

For a brief moment, it seemed they had. Four minutes after the interval, Kane switched play to the left for Trippier, Trippier crossed for Phil Foden and Foden tapped it into the net. Replays showed he was offside. It felt like a crushing blow, a brief moment of hope extinguished.

England soon reverted to playing like a bad cabaret. Walker rolled a free kick to Stones on the half way line, Stones wasn’t looking and the ball rolled past him. Strelec realised what had happened and saw that Pickford had strayed 40 yards off his line.

Strelec chipped it over him and Pickford, who had no chance of recovering his ground, was mightily relieved to see it roll wide. It was like Fred Karno’s.

There were more worrying signs of disillusion and frustration. Bellingham leapt for a ball with Peter Pekarik and when Pekarik fell to the ground, clutching his head, Bellingham leant over him and muttered something to him. He was already on a yellow.

Midway through the half, there was a huge cheer from the England fans, the first of the evening. Palmer, who has been a rare beacon of creativity, was coming on for Trippier, who had been injured.

Kobbie Mainoo was one of the few bright spots for England when they looked to be going out

After much drama, England just about did enough to make sure they marched on at Euro 2024

Gareth Southgate's side must improve but in Jude Bellingham he has star quality available

As part of the change, Southgate moved Bukayo Saka to left back, which seemed strange given that Saka had said specifically two days earlier that it was not the answer to anything to play him out of position.

England wasted a chance 13 minutes from the end when Foden curled in a free kick from close to the left touchline. Kane rose to meet it six yards out but, with the goal at his mercy, he directed his header wide.

Three minutes later, England came close again. Declan Rice’s shot from the edge of the area beat Martin Dubravka but bounced against the face of the post. It rebounded to Kane but his shot went over the bar.

Gradually, all hope seemed to be fading away. England were going out with a whimper. Then Bellingham scored.