England fans were ecstatic when the Three Lions saved their place at Euro 2024 with a 2-1 comeback win over Slovakia. Well, not everyone…
After Ivan Schranz gave Slovakia a first-half lead, England looked destined for one of their most embarrassing defeats ever, with the tournament favourites little more than a minute away from going down in the last 16.
But in the fifth minute of added time, Jude Bellingham scored a stunning overhead kick to equalize and send the game into extra time, where Harry Kane headed in the winning goal in the 91st minute.
Despite another worrying performance, the initial reaction was one of pure ecstasy from fans at home and in Gelsenkirchen, but there were some who had already given up on Gareth Southgate’s side.
A small portion of fans were seen leaving the Arena AufSchalke before full-time, and their reactions to hearing of Bellingham’s late equaliser were priceless.
An exasperated England fan was being interviewed by Sky News when news of the goal broke and he calmly celebrated before turning around and revealing he was wearing a Bellingham shirt, although it was clear he was disappointed to have left early.
“Oh God,” he muttered before being asked if he could re-enter the stadium.
‘No. I’ll take it. I’d rather not see England lose again.’
A fan watching the game in Brixton being interviewed by BBC News was asked if Southgate would survive the impending defeat and was interrupted mid-sentence by the equaliser.
“No way. He’s not coming back after this. I mean he said himself that if they don’t win this tournament, he’s out and I think that’s it…”
After celebrating, she added: “I literally said, ‘They’re going to score while we’re talking to you,’ and it happened! My lucky charm.
‘Southgate can stay! She can stay!’
In another clip, fans walking outside the stadium hear the tie break and try to run back, shouting, “Back, let’s go!”
Before the goal, other fans did not watch the game and two of them asked for their opinion on the performance.
‘Shit! Shit! Southgate’s gone, hasn’t he? He has gone on vacation, in two years he will be signed as a player. It’s all they can do.’
When asked if they should leave early, they replied: “Just because we know we’ll get stuck in traffic.”
The moral of the story is simple: never leave a football game early.
Fans will be wary of an early exit in England’s quarter-final match against Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
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