COLONIA.- England advanced to the round of 16 of Euro 2024 as first in Group C after drawing 0-0 against Slovenia on Tuesday.
The result at the Cologne Stadium also saw the Slovenian team reach the round of 16 and instead left Croatia eliminated.
In a game of few opportunities, Englishman Cole Palmer, who came on as a substitute, missed the opportunity to achieve victory in injury time. His shot was saved by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
England had already secured qualification. Achieving it as group leader means that they will play in the next phase against one of those classified as third. It is on the opposite side of the table from Spain, France, Germany and Portugal.
However, there was another lackluster performance by a team that came into the tournament as one of the favorites to be crowned continental monarch.
Gareth Southgate and his team have faced harsh criticism despite sealing their passage before the last date.
The performance against Denmark was so uninspiring that former captain and now BBC host Gary Lineker used a swear word to describe it, in a stern comment.
Far from expected:
Once again, the English looked short of ideas and could have been at a disadvantage early on, when Benjamin Sesko was free inside the area to head home. His header lacked power and direction, so he was saved without problems by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Bukayo Saka had a first-half goal ruled out for offside and Palmer came close late on, but England rarely looked close to winning.
France drew 1-1 with Poland to finish second in Group D behind Austria, which beat the Netherlands 3-2.
Kylian Mbappé wore a protective mask after breaking his nose in the first match of the tournament against Austria and scored from the penalty spot. Robert Lewandowski, also via penalty, gave already eliminated Poland its first point of the tournament.
Source: AP
