27 June 2024 , 08:00
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England will play Slovakia in their Euro 2024 last-16 tie on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s side finished top of Group C despite their drab goalless draw against Slovenia on Tuesday evening but were made to wait until Wednesday night to find out their first opponents of the knockout stage.
The Three Lions appeared to be on course to face the Netherlands, who finished third behind Austria and France in Group D, but Georgia’s 2-0 win against Portugal in Group F altered the positions of the four best third-placed teams who qualify for the last 16.
As a result, England have been paired with Slovakia and their game will take place in Gelsenkirchen this Sunday at 5pm.
If Southgate’s side beat Slovakia, they will play either Italy or Switzerland in the quarter final on July 6.
In the semi final, England will play one of Romania, Netherlands, Austria or Turkey on July 10.
Crucially for England, they will avoid Germany, France, Portugal and Spain until the semi-final stage.
Elsewhere in the last 16, hosts Germany will face Denmark, who finished as runners-up behind England in Group C.
Spain, who were the only team at Euro 2024 to win all three of their group games, will play Georgia, who are appearing at their first major tournament.
France will play Belgium, who were booed off the pitch by their own fans after their goalless draw against Ukraine on Wednesday.
Portugal will play Slovenia, while in the final two last-16 fixtures on July 2, Romania face the Netherlands and Austria meet Turkey.
Meanwhile, England will be looking to avoid another disjointed performance following the stalemate against Slovenia.
Southgate was booed and pelted with empty beer cups as he approached England supporters after his side’s draw on Tuesday night.
When asked about the reaction from the fans, Southgate admitted it has created an ‘unusual environment’ for the players.
‘I understand it,’ Southgate said.
‘I’m not going to back away from it. The most important thing is we stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me. That’s better for the team than it being towards them but it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.
‘We’ve made England fun again and it’s been very, very enjoyable for the players, we’ve got to be careful it stays that way.’