England Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest news updates before quarter-final clash

Gareth Southgate knows stumbling but spirited England have to raise their game if they are to stand a chance of beating “outstanding” Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.

A trip to Dusseldorf awaits after Jude Bellingham came to the rescue with a 95th-minute overhead equaliser against wily Slovakia on Sunday before Harry Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win.

England were seconds away from their tournament coming to an end in humiliating fashion, only to squeak through to a fourth successive major quarter-final under Southgate.

Back to the football, then, and it’s your chance to have your say. The Independent is inviting readers to join our debate on how Gareth Southgate goes about solving England’s problems ahead of Saturday’s Swiss soiree.

From centre stage to centre court, with Wimbledon well under way. Emma Raducanu is on Court 1 a little later having evoked the spirit of Gareth Southgate’s side in her opening win over Renata Zarazua. Kieran Jackson was there to take it all in:

Missed the opening run of Dear England? Here’s what Jessie Thompson, our esteemed arts editor, made of the production, which returns to the National Theatre in 2025.

It was a moment of pure theatre — and now Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick has been added to the BBC’s adaptation of playwright James Graham’s smash stage hit, Dear England.

Ed Sheeran gave the Euro 2024 England team a private concert after their 2-1 extra time victory against Slovakia on Sunday (30 June).

The “Shape of You” hitmaker, 33, visited the England camp in Blankenhain to perform an intimate live gig for the team, with the audience including star player Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane.

Sheeran’s visit was one of many measures organised by the England team’s manager Gareth Southgate to make the tournament as enjoyable as possible for the players. However, fans commented that the athletes looked miserable during the Grammy winner’s performance.

Jude Bellingham and his England team-mates enjoyed a much-needed rest day at Euro 2024 following the “emotional rollercoaster” victory over Slovakia on Sunday.

The Real Madrid midfielder spoke of the mixture of feelings after his last-gasp overhead kick took the last-16 meeting into extra-time before Harry Kane headed home to seal a quarter-final against Switzerland.

With the tie taking place in Dusseldorf on Saturday, manager Gareth Southgate gave his players and staff the day off on Tuesday after he admitted a number of his team were tired following the Slovakia game.

And here’s a reminder of the full quarter-finals schedule:

England are into the last eight, with a strange array of sides joining them as quarter-finalists. Lawrence Ostlere assesses the remaining contenders ahead of what should be a wild weekend:

There was a minute left to run on Gareth Southgate’s reign, the clock ticking down on a dismal tournament that seemed a demoralising end to the second-finest tenure of any England manager. Until an airborne Jude Bellingham intervened. Until Bellingham underlined that he has that combination of talent, technique and temperament to offer the promise of greatness. There had been reasons for Southgate to replace him: booked for a rash lunge at Lukas Haraslin, he had been unwise enough to lay his hands on the referee. He had endured a poor game.

But there was an instance of brilliance; a bicycle kick, an injury-time equaliser, a lifeline, a goal that may reshape England’s history as well as Southgate’s time in charge. “Who else?” Bellingham shouted. The evidence of the previous 94 minutes was that no one was likely to score for England. The closest they came to a first-half shot on target was when, after 10 seconds, Dennis Vavro belted the ball at Harry Kane’s head and it rebounded 30 yards to Martin Dubravka. For much of it, they were simultaneously going nowhere, going backwards and going out. But Bellingham’s European Championship has now included two glorious goals, albeit with too little in the 347 minutes that separated them.

And Southgate looked in thrall to his supposed superstars, ignoring the evidence of the game, hoping against hope they would deliver, relying on reputations. But some reputations are forged for a reason.