England have been branded as a "great football nation" by former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor, following the Three Lions' Euro 2024 knockout win on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate's side were on the verge of an embarrassing exit of the continental competition when Ivan Schranz netted his third goal of the tournament to give Slovakia the lead in their last-16 clash.
Hurtling towards the final whistle, a throw in on the right side handed England with an opportunity to take the game into extra time, and potentially to penalties.
Flicked on by Crystal Palace man Marc Guehi, the throw found its way into the Slovakia box, where it was thumped into the bottom-right corner by a Jude Bellingham overhead kick.
Stealing all of the momentum in the contest, the Three Lions were soon to hit the front in the opening stages of extra time, when Harry Kane headed home from close range.
![England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on June 30, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/26/gareth-southgate_3.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on June 30, 2024 [IMAGO]")
© Imago
"Great football nation"
Speaking to Afrik Foot, Premier League hero Adebayor discussed England's victory over Slovakia, as well as the next steps for Southgate's troops.
"A great football nation will always remain a great nation. They were not flamboyant, they did not dominate their subject (Slovakia) but they knew how to win in difficulty," said Adebayor.
"It was a very difficult match for them, a very complicated match, but, as I always say, it is the victory that counts. It is the qualification that counts.
"Harry Kane scoring the second goal, Jude (Bellingham) scoring a sumptuous goal to revive his team. He had a superb season, he scored an extraordinary goal in the 96th minute to equalize.
"Frankly, it is beautiful! I think that now they will talk to each other to be able to rectify what did not work to try to go as far as possible in this competition."
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England's route to the final
Despite being on the 'easier' side of the draw, England face a massive test of their credentials in Dusseldorf on Saturday evening, where one nation will be departing at the last-eight stage.
Southgate's side will pit their wits against Switzerland, who produced an exceptional display and two-goal success over Italy in the round of 16.
With Manuel Akanji and Granit Xhaka forming a solid spine, the Swiss side are a cohesive and effective unit, a quality which is currently missing from the Three Lions' XI.
Carter White
