In the end, everything was reminiscent of the last time England won a round of 16 tie at a European Championship.
As Gareth Southgate emerged from a deep embrace with his No.2, Steve Holland, his players lined up facing the away fans to hear the strains of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline echoing from the stadium loudspeaker.
The last occasion occurred three years ago at Wembley. England had just beaten Germany and it was a victory that set the championship on fire. In a way, that victory propelled England to win well-earned matches against Ukraine and Denmark and reach the final.
Until then, England had not convinced anyone in that tournament, but from then on they did not do so. Southgate and his players must find some of that in the coming days. It is his best hope to shake off the difficulties of the last two weeks in Germany and return to action.
Southgate joined his players in front of the English fans on Sunday night. There were no plastic beer glasses at his feet this time, but the England coach will know how close he came. He was 90 seconds from the end of his reign and ending his tenure at 99 games.
England dramatically beat Slovakia 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate had to rely on a late show to turn around what had been a dismal performance.
But the scenes at the end were rather reminiscent of the last time England won a last-16 tie at a European Championship, when they beat Germany 2-0 at Wembley back in 2021.
Instead, thanks to a magical right-foot strike from a player he refused to give up, Southgate has another chance. Jude Bellingham saved him this time, but when England travel to Dusseldorf on Saturday to face Switzerland, he will have to have found a way to motivate and lead his players to something beyond what they offered here.
It was a thrilling and dramatic night, and in the end it was an evening filled with joy. It was a night to marvel at how quickly sport can change, how one moment of mesmerising brilliance can change a match and perhaps even an entire summer. The fact that one England goal turned into two so quickly says everything about the way football can change. England have spent a fortnight looking like a sick animal waiting to be put out of its misery. Slovakia, ranked 45th in the world, looked up to the task.
But big moments and big goals can inject belief, purpose and energy into tired footballers, as was the case when David Platt’s late volley won a match against Belgium at the same stage of Italia 90.
Jude Bellingham produced a moment of magic to ensure Southgate kept his job as manager
After failing to convince in the tournament so far, England must use this victory to find another level.
In short, England and their coach must take advantage of this situation now. Interestingly, they will feel better on Monday morning than at any time since Bellingham scored against Serbia two weeks ago. Since he scored that goal, everything England had done until he scored again here had led them down a steady path to indignity.
This may have been one of the most memorable nights for Southgate in his eight years in charge, but it is difficult to say that much of what happened reflected him well.
Overall, this was a night where England represented and reflected their manager in completely the wrong way. They were indecisive, cautious, uninspired and stuck in the bad habits that have set in during this tournament.
Southgate, as predicted, chose a safe team and what he got in return was another predictable performance. At times, as his team moved sideways and backwards, it seemed as if his manager was stuck, tied in knots by his own safety-first ideology.
England were awful in the first half and by the time they reached the dressing room they were drowning. Yet Southgate did nothing. He made no tactical changes or changes. Cole Palmer did not get his chance until Kieran Tripper succumbed to injury in the second half. It was not until three minutes before the end of the 96 minutes of play that Ivan Toney came on. The Brentford striker’s performance was quite profound.
England looked hesitant, cautious, unmotivated and stuck in bad habits for most of the match.
However, despite this, Southgate failed to make any changes until Kieran Trippier suffered an injury.
The more it all went on, the more it looked as if Southgate was going to perish after having provided his numerous critics with all the ammunition they needed. The detractors could have produced an anti-Southgate checklist with all the boxes ticked.
So the question now is not whether England’s players can learn from this dramatic change, but whether their manager can too.
It seems inconceivable that Southgate could field the same XI against the brilliant and inventive Swiss in Dusseldorf.
He has shown admirable loyalty to Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, for example, but both failed again in this game. If Chelsea’s dynamic youngster Palmer doesn’t start against the Swiss, he may be wondering when he will.
From the depths of a performance that threatened to be as dismal as it was against Iceland at this stage of Euro 2016, England have somehow managed to swim to the surface and will now breathe the rich clean air of opportunity ahead of their next challenge.
Southgate must turn things around for the quarter-final against Switzerland if England are to triumph
Southgate has shown admirable loyalty to Phil Foden (above) and Bukayo Saka, for example, but both faltered here again. Cole Palmer needs to start and he needs to be more ruthless.
Southgate is not blind. He will be fully aware of what he saw here. Even Bellingham, magnificent as his equaliser was, had been miserable for most of the evening.
If his team really wants to change, Southgate must too. He must lead and set an example and the right tone. It’s what good coaches do at this level when their players really need them.
If everything has felt a little more comfortable and cosy with England here, then it is time for Southgate to change that.
Strange as it may seem after everything we’ve seen in Germany, England are now in a great position for Euro 2024. It would be criminal to waste it.
