Who England face in Euro 2024 quarter-finals after thrilling victory over Slovakia

England have secured their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals against Switzerland, following a nail-biting victory over Slovakia in the last-16.

Gareth Southgate's side narrowly avoided what could have been the most humiliating defeat of his leadership, thanks to Jude Bellingham's equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Harry Kane's extra-time winner. This sets up a showdown with the Swiss, who triumphed over Italy 2-0 on Saturday.

Despite topping Group C after defeating Serbia and drawing with Denmark and Slovenia, England's performances have left much to be desired, piling pressure on Southgate to identify his strongest line-up.

Slovakia, who finished second in Group E ahead of Romania and Ukraine but behind Belgium, had harboured hopes of an unprecedented win. They'd never previously beaten the Three Lions, but took an early lead and managed to resist England's onslaught until the final moments.

The quarter-final clash between England and Switzerland is scheduled for Saturday, July 6 at Dusseldorf's Merkur Spiel-Arena, kicking off at 5pm BST. The victors of Romania vs the Netherlands and Austria vs Turkey will face off at 8pm in Berlin, reports the Mirror.

While the Three Lions find themselves in what appears to be the easier half of the draw, their lacklustre performances so far suggest that a place in the final is far from a foregone conclusion, contrary to pre-tournament expectations.

Southgate expressed his pride in the team's performance against Slovakia, stating: "I'm so proud of the players and the spirit the lads showed. Everybody we put into the game played a part and helped us get over the line. They are all pushing and helping each other and tonight, that made the difference."

Following Switzerland's triumph in Berlin, their manager Murat Yakin was in high spirits, remarking: "The mood is excellent. There is no outside noise. We had a week to prepare for Italy. We will be able to watch Sunday's game and our plan will come to mind about what happens but we will focus on ourselves. There are only good sides at the Euros."

After Italy's disappointing exit from the Euros with a lacklustre offensive display against Switzerland, Luciano Spalletti shouldered the responsibility, saying: "The responsibility is always mine. There's no blame to everyone. I want to stress this. I want to thank the players for having brought me here."