England advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Championship after Jude Bellingham scored a stunning overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to spark a comeback 2-1 win after extra time against Slovakia on Sunday.

Bellingham’s acrobatic overhead kick leveled the round-of-16 game at 1-1 with seconds remaining at the Veltins Arena.

Harry Kane headed in the winner in the first minute of extra time as England avoided one of the biggest shocks in the history of the Euros.

Ivan Schranz scored in the first half for Slovakia and his goal looked like being enough to eliminate England, which was one of the pre-tournament favorites and runner up at the last Euros.

But Bellingham’s wonder goal sent the game to extra time and Kane sealed the win and a place in the quarterfinals where England will play Switzerland in Duesseldorf.

-AP

BY ANDREW CAWTHORNE, REUTERS.

With mosquitoes plaguing their preparations, lightning flashing over the match, and an early goal disallowed, the Germans must have wondered half-way into their Euro 2024 last-16 game against Denmark if the gods were against them.

But as the storm clouds passed, so their fortunes changed and Germany deservedly ran out 2-0 winners in Dortmund to reach a first major tournament quarter-final in eight years.

That is a long time by the standards of a nation whose name became synonymous in football with serial winning.

The Germans’ disappointing run has included first-round exits at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and a last-16 elimination in the 2021 Euros.

Saturday’s triumph has belatedly ignited Germany’s fans who were notably downbeat about their prospects in the run-up to the tournament and had not created an atmosphere to match the famous summer party of 2006 when they hosted the World Cup.

That may change, as fans poured on to the streets after Saturday’s games, tooting horns and waving flags.

The victory was vindication for Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. First and foremost of his decision to stick with Kai Havertz alone up front and keep big Niclas Fuellkrug on the bench despite his two goals at the tournament from substitute appearances.

Havertz, goalless in the group stage, looked the part, tormenting Denmark with his runs and clever movement and netting the first goal from the penalty spot with a pinpoint shot beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s reach.

His fortune contrasted with Rasmus Hojlund at the other end, who looked shorn of confidence as his goal drought with Denmark continued to eight games.

Germany are starting to look very good at the Euros where in the group stage they humiliated Scotland, controlled Hungary and showed fighting spirit against a strong Swiss team.

Versus the Danes, they had an impressive 55% possession, 58 attacks and 14 attempts on goal, Jamal Musiala curling home their second and match-winning goal

They had the video assistant referee (VAR) to thank, however, for two game-changing decisions that will be a recurring nightmare for Danish defender Joachim Andersen.

He thought he had scored, only to see it chalked off for a narrow offside by a team mate, then shortly afterwards committed the handball for Germany’s penalty.

With Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium still in their side of the draw, however, Germany’s new-found confidence may soon be put to a severe test.

-Reuters

A pair of superb strikes for Switzerland by Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas sent defending champions Italy crashing out of Euro 2024 in the round of 16 after a sloppy, rudderless display by Luciano Spalletti’s side ended in a 2-0 defeat.

Though the Swiss defended well, the Italians made their job all the easier with bad passing and poor-decision-making, giving the ball away cheaply in central positions and failing to press with any vigour as they headed for the exit.

After a slow, tenuous start on a sweltering evening in Berlin, Switzerland should have taken the lead in the 24th minute when Breel Embolo was played in, but his attempt to wait out Gianluigi Donnarumma didn’t succeed and the Italian goalkeeper comfortably parried his curled shot.

It was an early warning of what was to come, however, and the Italians could not hold on to the ball at all in the first half with even the most perfunctory passes finding a red shirt, rather than a blue one.

The only bright spot for the Italians was Stephan El Shaaraway, who had a golden chance of his own in the 26th minute with a typical jinking run, but despite doing well to get the ball back onto his right foot, his shot was blocked for a corner and, bafflingly, he was withdrawn at halftime.

Looking far more like defending champions than their sluggish opponents, the Swiss breakthrough came in the 37th minute with brilliantly-worked goal as they pulled the Italians apart.

Michel Aebischer roamed into the middle of the pitch, opening space on the left for Vargas, and though his pin-point pass tested Freuler’s first touch, the midfielder hammered the ball home to send his side in ahead at the break.

Whatever Spalletti said at half-time did not have the desired effect and his side were two down within a minute, with Italy’s ponderous, flat-footed defence taking on a spectator’s role as Vargas curled a stunning shot into the top corner.

The Swiss almost threw the Italians a lifeline in the 51st minute as Fabian Schaer’s glancing defensive header wrong-footed his own keeper Yann Sommer, leaving him to watch helplessly as the ball bounced up and kissed the far post before being cleared.

With the clock ticking ominously, the Italian players seemed paralysed in the face of the stout Swiss defence, resorting to speculative long shots that did little to trouble Sommer.

The woodwork intervened again in the 74th minute as Gianluca Scammacca scuffed the ball onto the near post from close range but that was as close as Italy came, and their fans were streaming out of the stands long before the final whistle, with those left in their seats dumbstruck by their team’s insipid performance.

“That goal at the start of the second half cut our legs, we weren’t very incisive,” said Italian coach Spalletti after the game.

“What made the difference is the pace, we had a pace that was too inferior to them in the first half. Even in the individual players there was a different pace.”

As the game concluded, the Swiss fans bounced and sang, knowing that their side would be going on to meet the winner of Sunday’s tie between England and Slovakia in Duesseldforf next Saturday.

“The feeling is great because we showed a really good performance. We showed from the first second that we really wanted to win this game,” Swiss midfielder Fabian Rieder said.

“The spirit is incredible; everyone is happy, everyone runs for everyone else, and I think we showed that on the pitch,” Rieder added, a lesson the Italians would do well to learn as they limp out of the tournament.

-Reuters