From the brink of elimination, England staged an emotional comeback, thanks to the brilliance of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. The EURO 2020 runners-up were just 90 seconds away from following the reigning champions, Italy, home. They will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals in Dusseldorf on the evening of July 6. England has not lost to Switzerland since May 1981.

When it seemed all was lost and England, the EURO 2020 runners-up, were about to follow Italy, the reigning champions, home within two days, Bellingham emerged like an angel. His stunning volley with less than two minutes of ιnjury time left brought immense joy to thousands of England fans who had been deprived of it throughout the match.

In the stands, “Hey Jude” chants rang out, replacing the boos, whistles, and tense, disappointed faces with singing and joy. Disappointment was etched on the faces of Slovakian fans. They were just 90 seconds away from their first-ever EURO quarter-final.

This is the Jude beloved by England football fans, the one who led England to victory in the opening match, then disappeared along with the team in the other two group stage matches, and did not play particularly well against Slovakia until he scored the equalizer in the 90+4th minute. It was like a shot of high-pressure oxygen, bringing England back to life after nearly an entire match of strugglе and lack of ideas. Then, at the start of the first extra time, Kane scored his second goal of the tournament, putting England ahead.

Two goals from set pieces, and from the brink of elimination, England returned in an explоsiоn of joy, finally taking control of their destiny. On the sidelines, coach Gareth Southgate celebrated in delight.

Before the match, an England flag with the slogan “In Southgate we trust” was attached to a fence in central Gelsenkirchen. But for much of the match, Southgate was booed and whistled at by England fans who did not want him to continue as coach. However, his journey with England in the EURO continues, as his best and most expected players saved him and themselves.

Earlier, cheers erupted throughout the Gelsenkirchen stadium when Phil Foden equalized 1-1 for England. But that joy lasted less than a minute. The goal was disallowed for offside. The joy was briefly reignited when Harry Kane had a chance, but his header went wide of the post.

When Declan Rice shook Martin Dubravka’s goal with a powerful shot from outside the box, the frustration was palpable, like a pressure cooker about to explоde. Anger would have erupted if not for Bellingham’s stunning goal in the 90+4th minute. Before that, for 93 minutes in the winter-like cold of the Aufschalke stadium, Southgate’s team seemed frozen in a morgue.

They were frozen in ideas, creativity, determination, and resolve to overcome a mountain of challenges. In the first 16 minutes of the first half, they received three yellow cards to Slovakia’s one, while creating nearly no chances. And after Ivan Schranz scored, England continued to outdo their Central European opponents, who were 40 places below them in the FIFA rankings, only in the number of boos and whistles directed at them after slow and weak attacking attempts.

The only applause was mainly for Kobbie Mainoo, making his first start in the tournament. He played maturely, circulated the ball reasonably, and had a few shots. But Mainoo alone was not enough. Possession of nearly 80% was not enough, even with over an hour to equalize after falling behind. A total failure. But Bellingham shone at the most desperate moment, seemingly saving everything. A hero saved England.

As the match ended, a heavy rain clouded the Gelsenkirchen sky, but fortunately, the future of the England team did not seem as bleak. In fact, it was until Bellingham brought the sun to England…