Gary Newbon: Football, bloody hell... England breathe a sigh of relief after result

England’s 2-1 win in Sunday’s Euro 2024 last 16 knock-out over Slovakia was another case of: “Football, bloody hell!”

To me, another reminder of my famous football interview with Sir Alex Ferguson after Manchester United’s stoppage time goals in their 1999 European Champions League 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in Barcelona.

That was his quote when he spoke to me on ITV seconds after the final whistle but he did add: “You never give in.”

At the weekend, England were trailing 1-0 and not playing well. A minute before the end of the six added minutes (England’s only shot on goal had been a disallowed ‘goal’ by Phil Foden for offside), Jude Bellingham, with England seemingly eliminated, scored a wonderful overhead equaliser.

Then 109 seconds later in extra time, captain Harry Kane scored what was to be the winner. Neither had memorable games before their goals but top players step up for the big moments. They never give in!

Manager Gareth Southgate was lucky to get away with it and surely he now has to make some changes before Saturday’s quarter-final against Switzerland in Dusseldorf (5pm live on BBC1).

We cannot keep getting away with what he keeps considering his strongest line-up. It really does need a few changes with Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Trent Alexander-Arnold as well as Eberechi Eze and with Kobbie Mainoo starting again. At least a mixture of those talented and fresh players. Hopefully, left-back Luke Shaw will at last be ready to start. I am pleased for Gareth. He has done well as England manager but he must be considering some tweaks to the starting line-up.

At the end of the day the game is about results and England are unbeaten, topped their group and have conceded just two goals in four matches while now reaching the quarter-finals.

But England had us worried and depressed at Gelsenkirchen until that magic moment by the Midlands and England’s finest – Jude Bellingham, who turned just 21 years old on Saturday. Happy birthday – and thank you!

As the late Brian Clough often said: “It just takes a moment to score a goal!”

Meanwhile two of the West Midlands most talented and promising professional boxers had contrasting title nights at the Coventry Skydome on Saturday.

Leamington Spa’s Danny Quartermaine added the vacant WBO version to his IBF European super featherweight championship by a wide margin on points beating his Romanian opponent James Chereji. All three judges scoring the ten-round contest 97-92.

The 27-year-old Quartermaine, still unbeaten with 12 straight wins, had to overcome an opponent who spoiled for most of the fight by holding on despite knocking Danny down to the canvas in the first round before Danny suffered a badly cut and bruised right eye.

His cuts man Jon Pegg did a brilliant job working on the eye to get the boxer through to the end.

The referee Marcus Mcdonnell had to continually warn Chereji for holding. I was surprised the late replacement boxer was not deducted a point by the referee.

All things considered, this was a sensible performance by Quartermaine, who has a good attitude.

The 30-year-old challenger, whose record is now 20 wins and five defeats, took the fight at short notice after the original challenger Karim Guerfi from France withdrew with a shoulder injury.

But Danny and trainer Edwin Cleary kept the same fight plan.

Earlier in the co-top of the bill, Chelmsley Wood’s exciting 24-year-old Nyall Berry suffered a shock stoppage for the vacant IBF European super bantamweight title.

He had to be rescued by referee Michael Alexander after being knocked down twice in the eighth round. Nyall was also on the canvas in the fourth round.

Berry had won his previous 10 fights as his manager Jon Pegg tipped him to reach the top of boxing.

But opponent Italian Francesco De Rosa came out swinging in the eighth and Berry was in trouble.

Earlier the Salerno-based unbeaten boxer had suffered cramp which rendered his right hand useless for two previous rounds but he suddenly recovered.

Berry was distraught afterwards and his Eastside gym fellow boxer Sam Eggington who had lost six fights before he became world champion tried to console Berry in the dressing room.

Sam told him that he will recover from this setback.

Pegg told me that Nyall wanted the title so badly that he put too much pressure on himself.

Ironically, he was ahead of all three judges scorecards with two more rounds left.

The 11-fight bill was promoted by the Sheffield-based Izzy Asif and his company GBM sports and was shown live for the first time by the worldwide boxing network DAZN.

Asif offered a bonus of £1,000 to the boxers who knocked out their opponents.

There were two KOs pus two technical knockouts.

The knockouts included Liam O’Hare from Hereford who is a former ballet dancer and once attended the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Elmhurst Ballet School in Edgbaston for 11 to 19-year-olds.

O’Hare, who is now 27, has won all ten fights, knocking out his latest opponent Harry Matthews from York with a body shot in the last of four rounds.

O’Hare does a ballet pirouette (a rapid spin of the body up on your toes) on his stage entrance and then in the ring after he has won!