Jude Bellingham may as well have pulled a sword from a stone and crowned himself King of England on Sunday. A moment of magic from the La Liga Player of the Season rescued England from a Round of 16 exit at Euro 2024.
The Beatles themselves could have never imagined the fame of Jude in 2024 when they penned their famous song. Bellingham's magical bicycle kick in the 95th minute saved his nation and crushed Slovakia. But, can the Three Lions use this victory as a building block for future success? And should England still be the Euro 2024 favorites?
Jude & Harry Save Southgate his blushes
Slovakian hearts will take some mending after waves of English attacks finally broke their defense. They worked hard, keeping an organized, compact shape throughout the match and were unlucky not to come away with the result. Ivan Schranz's first half goal seemed to be enough to book Slovakia's ticket to a quarter final matchup with Switzerland, until Bellingham's unbelievable goal sent the stadium in Gelsenkirchen into pandemonium.
While Jude almost certainly saved manager Gareth Southgate his job, much will be made of the fact that England failed to register a shot on target until that 95th minute goal. Harry Kane's header in the first minute of extra time proceeded to give the Three Lions the victory, but England has once again failed to delivery on the international stage. They were lucky to score on each of their shots on target, and will need to generate more quality chances if they have any hope of defeating a strong Switzerland squad on July 6.
Harry Kane has looked a shadow of himself, despite scoring two goals. He's struggled for form, and many have pointed to his late season back injury as the reason why. Once a wonderfully mobile modern striker, Kane's boots seem to be stuck in concrete in Germany. On top of that, other than a terrible play in which he should have equalized for his country but was painstakingly offside, Phil Foden was largely poor.
Until today, England had the lowest expected goals in the entire Euro, with an attack led by the Bundesliga Golden Boot winner (Kane), the English Premier League player of the season (Foden), and the aforementioned La Liga Player of the Season.
Southgate has struggled to summon the greatness of three years ago, when England very nearly brought the trophy home. They must generate more goal scoring opportunities from their talented front four if they are to defeat the Swiss and advance in this tournament.
England vs Switzerland Euro 2024 Quarter Finals Odds
Odds as of June 30
Bellingham's monumental tally may have saved England's tournament, but as Slovakia displayed, there are no easy matches at Euro 2024.
Switzerland will count themselves as the Three Lions greatest threat so far. Granit Xhaka and company thoroughly outplayed Italy and romped to a 2-0 victory in their Round of 16 clash. The form of Xhaka, and defenders Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schar behind him make Switzerland a formidable opponent.
Should Southgate's team play the languid style of football they showed today, the Swiss will send England running home with their tails between their legs. If the gaffer fails to bench Foden, and simply runs his lineup, and tactics back without making "major changes", as he likes to say, I love the value on Switzerland to win this match at +297.
Murat Yakin's tactics have proven to be far more advanced, and effective, than anything Southgate has thrown together on the pitch in Germany. With Xhaka bossing proceedings from the midfield, and looking like one of the top midfielders in world football, the Rossocrociati will enter this quarter final as a robustly confident squad.
Is England's position as Euro 2024 Favorites Still Justified?
England are lucky to be on the easier side of the Euro bracket. With four of the top five teams in the Euro 2024 outright odds on the opposite side, the Three Lions will count their blessings. Switzerland, and perhaps Austria, or the Netherlands stand in the way of a second straight trip to the European Final. While the usual suspects of Germany, Spain, France, Belgium and Portugal battle it out for one spot on the other flank.
England remain +350 favorites in the latest Euro 2024 odds, with Germany next at +400, followed by Spain at +450. But, Spain and Germany may meet in a colossal quarter final, and France takes on Belgium for the right to advance on July 1.
Ultimately, the dinosaurs of European football are finally being challenged. Switzerland will be a tough test for the Three Lions, and at this point, they should be seen as underdogs to any of the four major favorites on the other side of the bracket. At only +350 odds to bring the trophy home, there are far better bets on the Euro 2024 futures board.