England Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest news and updates as Jude Bellingham faces possible ban over gesture

Few understand that better than defender John Stones, who has gone from perennial Premier League champions Manchester City to his fifth major international tournament.

The 30-year-old defender said after the Slovakia win that England could “kind of take the handbrake off” after Sunday’s emotional win – comments that seemed to surprise Southgate.

“(Last night) was an example of cup football,” he said. “Sometimes cup football is about character, heart, the spirit.

“We didn’t defend well at the start and we didn’t play through their press, which was really well organised, and we struggled to break that first line of pressure.

“That wasn’t a handbrake. That was we had a problem that we couldn’t solve getting the ball into the second line of the pitch and there’s a big difference.

“I think the game against the Swiss will throw completely different tactical problems – just as difficult, just as complex and a different solution to solve.

“But we’ve got a few days to recover and that’s going to be important because the energy levels that were required, whether we’ve got any injuries, we need to assess.

“Obviously we lose Marc (Guehi) for the next game as well, so plenty for us to think about.”

Young star Bellingham epitomised that spirit when acrobatically striking home in stoppage time to salvage England’s campaign before hitting back at those talking “rubbish” about them afterwards.

“He was 21 yesterday and he’s doing unbelievably well,” Southgate said. “I understand his world better than a lot of people, I think. His world is different to pretty much every other 21-year-old in the world.

“He’s had an incredible impact on his clubs, his national team already, but he’s still a young man and he is going to say things, react to things, in a way that young people will.

“But what he can provide us are these moments where he grabs things by the scruff of the neck and his character, and his personality creates moments that can change a big game.

“That’s what he has given to us again. Two hugely important goals for us in this tournament already. He’s a great boy, he’s super to work with, wants to do well.

“Also, I think he knows that we’re trying to help him through all of these challenges and hurdles that the different environment of the national team brings because it is a different environment.”

“You build on the spirit that they’ve shown, the belief that they’ll have gained from that,” Southgate said.

“Equally, we’re not naive. We’re going to play a team that have looked outstanding, not just in this tournament but for quite a while as well. That’s going to be a big tactical challenge for us.

“We know that the level of our game will need to be higher, but there was a spirit and there was a togetherness that has been building.

“We’ve had a lot of problems to solve through this whole lead into the camp, through the tournament.

“We’re putting a plaster over different things and giving young players opportunities. We’re somehow finding a way.

“I can imagine how everybody is going to react to that, even though we’ve won. But we’re still in there and the one thing that can’t be questioned is the desire, the commitment, the character.”

Gareth Southgate knows stumbling but spirited England have to raise their game if they are to stand a chance of beating “outstanding” Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.

A trip to Dusseldorf awaits after Jude Bellingham came to the rescue with a 95th-minute overhead equaliser against wily Slovakia on Sunday before Harry Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win.

England were seconds away from their tournament coming to an end in humiliating fashion, only to squeak through to a fourth successive major quarter-final under Southgate.

The fighting spirit was as impressive as their overall performance was alarming in Gelsenkirchen, with far better needed from the Euro 2020 runners-up against the Swiss on Saturday.

But mindset can only take a team so far, with Southgate well aware their performance must go up a level against Switzerland if they are to progress to the Euros semi-finals.

The team 19th in FIFA’s world rankings finished as runners-up to hosts Germany in Group A and went on to knock out holders Italy 2-0 in the round of 16.

“Another tough opposition,” Pickford said. “Like I said at the start of the tournament, every game’s a tough game.

“The levels keep stepping up and we as England have got to step up again against another tough side, against Switzerland, with some top players.”

Asked if he has a message for fans, the England goalkeeper added: “Keep believing in us. We’ll go 100 per cent, give 100 per cent for the badge all the time, and we need them behind us because they’re a massive part of us.

“The atmosphere they create for us gives us an added edge.”

Gareth Southgate knows stumbling but spirited England have to raise their game if they are to stand a chance of beating “outstanding” Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.

A trip to Dusseldorf awaits after Jude Bellingham came to the rescue with a 95th-minute overhead equaliser against wily Slovakia on Sunday before Harry Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win.

England were seconds away from their tournament coming to an end in humiliating fashion, only to squeak through to a fourth successive major quarter-final under Southgate.

The fighting spirit was as impressive as their overall performance was alarming in Gelsenkirchen, with far better needed from the Euro 2020 runners-up against the Swiss on Saturday.

“It was a roller coaster,” Pickford said back at England’s Blankenhain basecamp on Monday.

“I said in the pre-match interview it’s not how you play, you’ve got to show resilience and it’s about just winning the match and that’s what we did. Went into the trenches and we came out the other side.

“You’ve got two superstars, Jude and Harry, and they’ve come up with the goods.

“Jude, golden boy, again with the overhead kick to keep us in the game, keep us in the tournament.

“But we never say die, and that’s what it was last night. A roller coaster but we got over the line.”

Jordan Pickford lauded “golden boy” Jude Bellingham after he rescued England’s Euro 2024 campaign in the roller-coaster last-16 clash against Slovakia.

After winning Group C in unconvincing fashion, the Euro 2020 runners-up were on the brink of a humiliating exit akin to Iceland eight years ago in what would almost certainly have been Gareth Southgate’s last match.

England looked set to fail in their bid to cancel out Ivan Schranz’s opener for wily Slovakia, with Phil Foden seeing a goal ruled out for offside by the VAR, Harry Kane wasting a great chance and Declan Rice hitting a post.

But Real Madrid star Bellingham scored a jaw-dropping leveller five minutes into stoppage time, with his overhead kick followed by a Kane header early in extra time as Southgate’s side won 2-1.

Portugal v Slovenia is under way in the round of 16, and you can follow all the action from Frankfurt right here:

A quarter-final against Switzerland is the reward for England after a Bellingham-inspired turnaround that made headlines and will live long in the memory.

“Ninety-fifth minute and I think there was six minutes added time, so probably one of the last kicks in the game,” Pickford said of the equaliser.

“For Jude to come up with that, something special from Walks’ [Kyle Walker] long throw, we mixed our game up well, and to get the equaliser to go into extra time was massive.

“It was an unbelievable moment. But then you start thinking ‘is VAR going to come into play?’ or anything like that.

“Because after the equaliser with Phil, then VAR came in and it kind of deflates you, like I said.

“But that emotion, that buzz around the place. Slovakia must have thought they had it in the bag.

“Then we had to step on the gas in extra time, which we did early doors with Harry getting that second goal. Then it was about our mentality to see the game out.”