England vs. Slovenia final score: Euro 2024 result as Three Lions top Group C despite bore draw

England turned in another largely listless display at Euro 2024 but the 0-0 draw against Slovenia in Cologne saw Gareth Southgate's side progress as group winners.

It was perhaps a novel way to avoid disappointing after taking an early lead as England did in their 1-0 win over Serbia and 1-1 draw with Denmark: simply don't score and rarely threaten to against Slovenia's deep and disciplined 4-4-2.

Bukayo Saka had a first-half goal disallowed but the Three Lions still largely lacked in terms of cutting edge. The similarly dour 0-0 draw between Denmark and Serbia means England at least finish top of the pile and avoid a last-16 clash with hosts Germany. They will take on one of the best third-place qualifiers instead.

Southgate made a solitary change, ending his Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment to pick Conor Gallagher. The Chelsea player brought more verve to England out of possession but they struggled badly for inspiration during 45 minutes when they had 69% of the ball.

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Phil Foden was the exception as he produced a handful of bright moments, including an assist that wasn't for Saka. Foden was the man culpable, straying fairly needlessly offside to retrieve Declan Rice's first-time pass.

Those moments where England quickened the tempo were too few and far between at the RheinEnergieStadion. They were sharper on the ball after Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo replaced Gallagher at halftime — another positive that you could spot with a heavy squint.

Cole Palmer, making his first appearance of the tournament, had a chance to win it in stoppage time but shot tamely at Jan Oblak. Slovenia celebrated wildly at the final whistle as they also guaranteed progress with a third-place finish that is statistically better than Hungary and Croatia in Group A and B. For England, it was time to sheepishly applaud a fanbase who willed them on for 90 minutes but booed them at the end once more.

They are in the opposite side of the draw to Germany, Spain, Portugal and France. That's undeniably a positive but it's also worth asking who will fear England in this form.

England vs. Slovenia final score

Venue: RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne

Referee: Clement Turpin (France)

Confirmed lineups:

England (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Pickford (GK) — 2. Walker, 5. Stones, 6. Guehi, 12. Trippier (8. Alexander-Arnold) — 16. Gallagher (26. Mainoo), 4. Rice— 7. Saka (24. Palmer), 10. Bellingham, 11. Foden (18. Gordon) — 9. Kane.

Slovenia XI (4-4-2, right to left): 1. Oblak (GK) — 2. Karnicnik, 21. Drkusic, 6. Bijol, 13. Janza (3. Balkovec) — 20. Stojanovic, 10. Elsnik, 22. Cerin, 17. Mlakar — 9. Sporar (17. Mlakar), 11. Sesko (26. Ilicic).

MORE: Wake up, Gareth Southgate: Jude Bellingham is Kalvin Phillips' natural replacement!

England vs Slovenia stats

England vs. Slovenia live updates, highlights from Euro 2024

Fulltime

The Slovenia players tear away in delight at the final whistle. That result will send them through as one of the best third-place sides. England are group winners but it hardly feels like much to celebrate after another forgettable display. They are at least very solid defensively and Mainoo improved them on the ball after the break. There was still a dire lack of cutting-edge overall. Southgate must find more from this group of players, although there is surely plenty left to come.

90 mins+2: Finally Slovenia stretched. Gordon finds Kane, who helps it on to Palmer. It's set up for his trademark finish but he can't get hold of it.

90 mins: Balkovec comes on for Janza, who is on a yellow. That foul on Palmer probably amounted to a final warning. Four added minutes.

89 mins: Or not as Oblak beats away Foden's cross. That's his last involvement as Gordon comes on for a minute plus stoppage time.

88 mins: Palmer pops the ball over Janza and runs into him. He's bought that foul quite well. One for Alexander-Arrnold to get his chops around on the right flank.

84 mins: Scratch that, Alexander-Arnold is on for Trippier, whose calf appears to have cramped. Walker over to left-back. Another ringing endorsement of a well-balanced squad.

83 mins: Trent Alexander-Arnold poised to come on. Seemingly for Bellingham. That'd be some redemption arc. Kane holds up play inside the Slovenia box, Foden on the edge. Shot blocked.

81 mins: An England attack breaks down because Janza is down, apparently injured. The opposition players don't seem to believe him.

79 mins: England ruin another attacking setpiece by giving away a free-kick.

78 mins: Kane pulls out to the right channel. His cross for the recently booked Foden is a dangerous one and Karnicnik clears behind.

77 mins: Palmer slots a lovely pass into the area to the underlapping Mainoo. His cutback is a good one as well but there's no one there as Bellingham stands on ceremony outside the area.

75 mins: Rice links with Foden, retrieves the one-two and hammers goalwards. It was always swerving away. Ilicic replaces Sesko for Slovenia, which is another tick in the box for Stones and Guehi.

74 mins: Trippier's delivery is too deep, Guehi gets to it, Palmer is dispossessed.

72 mins: Kane barrels into position to win England a handy-looking free-kick. 25 yards out, right corner of the box.

71 mins: On comes Palmer for Saka. Understandably the sight of the Chelsea star excited the England fans but it's yet another like-for-like change. Surely Southgate has to do something with the shape.

70 mins: Cerin over the free-kick It goes to no one whatsoever. Bellingham is down in a heap for some reason.

68 mins: England camped in the Slovenia half but they need more tempo. Foden dispossessed and there's a bit of a mix up between the otherwise impeccable Stones and Guehi. The latter takes a yellow card for the team.

66 mins: Bellingham with a pretty petulant forearm into the back of Janza. The last thing England need is a stupid red card and the Real Madrid hero looks not a million miles away from the end of his tether.

63 mins: Slovenia get into the England half for the first time in an age. Cerin marks the occasion with a frankly rubbish shot wide from miles away. 

61 mins: England still not creating much but managing to string together a rumbling run of attacks. This is probably their best moment of the contest.

58 mins: Stones rises to meet the left-wing delivery, can't quote get enough purchase. Slovenia struggle to clear. Saka tries an overhead kick and commits a foul.

57 mins: Vital intervention from Bijol on the end of Foden's set-piece with Kane lurking. England keep it alive and win a corner. 

56 mins: Bellingham duffs a cross where it was honestly hard to work out what he was trying to do. He's really having a shocker.

54 mins: Amazing ball from deep by Kane for Bellingham, who can't get it under his spell.

53 mins: A spin from Foden, who is infield once more. Bijol gets to his attempted teasing ball to Saka.

51 mins: Slovenia need a couple of goes to get it away. The ball drops to Foden 35 yards out and he volleys it wide via several bounces. I'm fairly sure Pep Guardiola would tear him to pieces for that.

50 mins: England win the ball back quickly, Mainoo and Foden combine. They'll want to see more of that. Kane now comes alive and get into the channel to win another corner.

49 mins: Promising start from Mainoo, who pops up on the left to help out Saka and Belingha, wins a corner.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back underway and there's a change for England, with Mainoo replacing Gallagher. It's a big ask for the Manchester United youngster but he can sharpen his team up in possession and should prove to be a player more on Foden's wavelength.

Halftime

Mercifully there's no stoppage time because that hasn't been particularly enjoyable to watch. Save for one or two flickers of inspiration from Foden, including on Saka's disallowed goal, England have laboured against a disciplined Slovenia. It's also goalless between Denmark and Serbia, which means Southgate's side are 45 minutes away from topping the group as a section of supporters boo them off. It's been a fun tournament but this has not been a good group. Anyone in the knockouts will be happy enough facing whatever configuration are blurted out of Group C.

45 mins: Saka dibbles inside and looks to exchange with Bellingham. Unfortunately for him, the Real Madrid star is having probably his worst half of the season, treads on the ball and the attack dies.

43 mins: Kane lines one up from way downtown. Deflected behind. Rice concedes a free-kick from the corner. England's setpiece threat is way down from their previously impressive tournaments under Southgate.

40 mins: Oh, that's a dreamy ball from Trippier, begging to be converted at the far post. Somehow, neither Gallagher nor Kane can oblige.

36 mins: Karnicnik a real threat getting forward from right-back. He's into the England box but unhelpfully clatters the ball at Sporar rather than trying to give him an assist.

35 mins: Foden has a damn good go at proving me wrong but Oblak gets across to paw the ball away from his left corner.

34 mins: Saka brought to ground again. The free-kick is at least 30 yards around to the right of goal. Probably too far out to beat Oblak with a shot.

30 mins: Foden sweeps in the sort of cross you'd like to put in its best clothes and take out for a steak dinner. Janza clears behind and Slovenia see out the ensuing set-piece danger.

29 mins: Slovenia get out after a few tasty 50/50s. Mlakar looks to release Sesko but Pickford is nicely alert.

27 mins: Foden scampers infield, looks to flick a ball through to Kane but the captain is on his heels.

26 mins: 73% possession for England but I can't imagine Slovenia will be too offended by how this has unfolded.

22 mins: Janza pulls back Saka and the referee hastily books him to the extent he forgot to play the advantage England would have preferred.

20 mins: GOOOAAA.....no! Lovely combination play from England, Foden leaves it on a plate for Saka to tap home but the Manchester City star had just strayed offside.

England sets up a beautiful goal but it's ruled offside 😬 pic.twitter.com/SgMo7pMIcA

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 25, 2024

18 mins: Janza delivers a doozy of a free-kick from the right but none of his team mates are interested for some reason and Pickford can wave it behind.

17 mins: The side exchange counter attacks. Trippier blunders into Karnicnik and is booked.

16 mins: Double bluff from Janza, who doesn't take one of his famous long throws, get the ball back and floats a dangerous-looking cross just beyond Sporar.

15 mins: We've settled into a pattern of Slovenia's compact 4-4-2 behind the ball and England keeping possession but lacking tempo and penetration thus far. 

10 mins: Kane looks for Foden now with a ball over the top. His cross to Saka has too much on it and the right-winger loses his footing. It's offside anyway. The execution was poor but that's a snapshot of how this England front three can work.

9 mins: Rice marauding, Bellingham make the decoy run but the attack breaks down with Kane, who probably should have helped a pass on to Foden.

8 mins: Some patient England possession. Kane drops short and there's no need for him to force that raking pass to Saka. Slovenia get it back but the Arsenal man is tenacious to concede a throw deep in opposition territory.

5 mins: Sporar nods a left-wing cross back across goal and Sesko nods towards the net. Easy claim for Pickford.

4 mins: Bellingham plays an awful lofted pass across halfway and Gallagher - on a booking from earlier games - is forced to bring down Sporar.

3 mins: Stojanovic looks to get in behind England but Walker mops up. It's been a fairly fast start. How long will that remain the case on a very warm evening?

Kickoff: 1st Half

Phil Foden gets us underway and trots off centrally. The Manchester City man's positioning tonight is something to watch as England have been horribly narrow with him briefed to come infield during the first two matches. Initially, it looks like the same system with Gallagher as a straight swap for Alexander-Arnold.

4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams. England already through but results over the past 24 hours give them a huge incentive to win. The team that tops Group C will be on the other side of the draw to Germany, Spain, Portugal and France

8 mins before kickoff: Gareth Southgate makes the solitary walk to his dugout with a couple of bottles of water. It's hot out there. He moves towards the England fans and applauds. There's a flag in there bearing the message "In Southgate We Trust". That trust has been strained for many by England's performances in the first two games. It's time for the Three Lions to produce a performance.

30 mins before kickoff: England's work without the ball has been under heavy scrutiny after the lethargic performances of their first two games. Gallagher should certainly help their pressing and, as the table below shows, there is absolutely no reason this XI shouldn't be monsters when it comes to harassing the opposition defence.

Premier League 2023/24: Most possessions won in the final 1/3

MORE: Tactical struggles undermining Gareth Southgate's England and three possible solutions

1 hour before kickoff: The teams are in! Slovenia are unchanged and it's Gallagher who comes in for Alexander-Arnold for England.

All set for Slovenia! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/T4QLIZIVKg

— England (@England) June 25, 2024

1 hour 20 before kickoff: England are already assured of a place in the knockout stages and if the Three Lions win tonight and top the group as expected they'll play one of the best third-place finishers from Groups D, E, or F in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday at 5 p.m. BST.

As it stands, the Netherlands sit third in Group D, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, and Ukraine are all tied on three points in Group E, and the Czech Republic are in third place in Group F, level on points with Georgia, but above them on goal difference.

Keep up to date with our third-place tracker right here!

1 hour 40 before kickoff: England have so far failed to produce the performances that have lived up to their favourites tag, so will tonight be when they finally turn it on?

If they are to do just that, then Southgate will likely need to take a couple of risks with his team selection. The Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield experiment will likely come to an end in place of Conor Gallagher starting. If he's feeling more daring he could give youngsters Adam Wharton or Kobbie Mainoo a runout too. There's also a big selection to be made up top if Harry Kane is dropped for the likes of Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney.

All eyes will be on the team news shortly.

2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of England vs. Slovenia at Euro 2024. Victory will make sure of top spot in the group for Gareth Southgate's side, given they're the only team in the section to have won any of the four games so far. Anything less and the Three Lions are looking at a potentially trickier path in the knockout stage.

We’re off to Cologne! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/L2duho2vtE

— England (@England) June 24, 2024

England vs. Slovenia kickoff time

This Euro 2024 match kicks off from the RheinEnergieStadion on June 25 at 9 p.m. local time in Cologne.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

Euro 2024 Group C standings

England vs. Slovenia lineups, team news, starting 11

Trent Alexander-Arnold's deployment as a central midfielder has come in for criticism during England's underwhelming opening to the tournament. Southgate himself described the selection as an "experiment" and it seems to have run its course.

Conor Gallagher comes into the side, which now sees the Chelsea midfielder sit alongside Declan Rice.

Gallagher is an excellent presser and could inject some much-needed energy into the England side. Kieran Trippier continues at left-back despite Luke Shaw's return to first-team training, while Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa are alternatives off the bench.

England starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Pickford (GK) — Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier — Gallagher, Rice— Saka, Bellingham, Foden — Kane.

Subs: Ramsdale, Henderson, Shaw, Alexander-Arnold, Honsa, Dunk, Toney, Gordon, Watkins, Bowen, Eze, Gomez, Palmer, Wharton, Mainoo.

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak caused a stir by missing training on Saturday but Slovenia boss Matjaz Kek has his one genuine world-class performer available.

Midfielders Timi Max Elsnik and Adam Gnezda Cerin suffered knocks during the Serbia game but have passed late checks.

RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko is yet to find the net so far at Euro 2024 and must try to ignite a change in fortunes against an England defence that has been miserly up until this point.

Slovenia starting XI (4-4-2, right to left): Oblak (GK) — Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza — Stojanovic, Elsnik, Cerin, Mlakar — Sporar, Sesko.

Subs: Belec, Vekic, Balkovec, Blazic, Stankovic, Verbic, Lovric, Kurtic, Horvat, Vipotnik, Celar, Brekalo, Zuhelj, Zeljkovic, Ilicic.

England vs. Slovenia live stream, TV channel

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USA: England vs. Slovenia from the RheinEnergieStadion will be televised in the United States on FS1, with a Spanish-language broadcast via Vix. Both channels are available to stream on Fubo, with the latter offering a FREE seven-day trial.

UK: Monday's match match will be shown in the UK on ITV and STV, with streaming on the ITV X and STV Player platforms.

Canada: Euros matches can be seen in Canada on TSN's respective TV channel and live streaming services, while TVA+ will also provide a stream for this game.

Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for the Euros is Optus Sport. 

India: All Euro games are available to watch on JioTV/SonyLiv. This match is also available on TV via Sony Ten 2 and 3.

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