With the top spot in Euro 2024’s Group C up for grabs, England were reduced to a 0-0 draw in Cologne by a Slovenia side that were more than happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.
Another dull and uninspiring first-half display from the Three Lions saw Slovenia provide a hard-to-break-down block, though they provided little threat themselves in a first half that was considered very bleak.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession early on in the affair, England’s dominance amounted to very little until Bukayo Saka poked home a well-worked goal, courtesy of a moment of brilliance from Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. It was, however, ruled out for offside.
Kobbie Mainoo’s half-time introduction spruced England into life ever so slightly with a more controlled approach to play, though it was to no avail. Yet another defunct second half, however, saw out a torrid 0-0 draw. Here are the player ratings for both sets of players.
Key Match Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
England | Stats | Slovenia |
73% | Possession | 27% |
11 | Total shots | 4 |
4 | Shots on target | 1 |
6 | Corner kicks | 0 |
3 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Match Highlights
England Player Ratings
GK – Jordan Pickford – 6/10
Alert to Sesko’s early headed effort and, amid having very little to do, showed more passion than all England players combined. Began to drift into midfield in the second half.
RB – Kyle Walker – 4/10
Not his brightest performance by any stretch of the imagination and he lacked the simple ability to supply Saka, his colleague on the right-hand side, with a good pass.
CB – John Stones – 5/10
Uncharacteristically, Stones played some wayward passes early on. Showed no urgency to be progressive and, despite his experience, looked off the boil.
CB – Marc Guehi – 5/10
Too tentative in his passing and needed to be braver on the ball. His lacklustre approach when playing balls into the midfield lent itself to England’s troubles.
LB – Kieran Trippier – 3/10
Picked up the first yellow of the encounter and looked unnatural on the left, especially from an attacking standpoint.
CM – Declan Rice – 5/10
Given little cover by Gallagher, thus reducing his offensive output but, overall, he underwhelmed.
CM – Conor Gallagher – 3/10
A natural replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Chelsea man did not touch the ball in the first 10 minutes. Hooked at half-time.
CAM – Jude Bellingham – 4/10
Pinpoint pass to pick out Foden for England’s ruled out opener, but he was largely anonymous in the first half otherwise.
RW – Bukayo Saka – 5/10
Had a first half goal disallowed for offside in the build-up. Not at his glittering best, but he was given little to work with by Walker and Co.
ST – Harry Kane – 4/10
Often occupied the same spaces as Bellingham, limiting his ability to make a difference. As such, he was reduced to sour grapes.
LW – Phil Foden – 5/10
Provided plenty of width in the opening stages of the affair, though the change to the usual position he tends to pick up was to no avail. Superb movement to set up Saka’s disallowed goal.
Sub – Kobbie Mainoo (45′ for Gallagher) – 7/10
Picked up some lovely positions upon his introduction. Provided a layer of energy and spark which England were crying out for.
Sub – Cole Palmer (70′ for Saka) – 5/10
Looked lively, attempting to weave in and out of players and had a good shot to end his cameo.
Sub – Trent Alexander-Arnold (83′ for Trippier) – 4/10
Provided width on the right but had little time to make too much of an attacking impact.
Sub – Anthony Gordon (88′ for Foden) – 3/10
Little time to assert himself on the left but his pass to Kane was excellent.
Slovenia Player Ratings
GK – Jan Oblak – 6/10
Required to make a decent save with Foden’s free-kick attempt in the 34th minute but had little to do in the first stage. A relatively quiet night for the Atletico Madrid man.
RB – Zan Karnicnik – 5/10
After his goal against Serbia, Karnicnik was a threat on the right-hand side, but his typical attacking tendencies were restricted thanks to having to defend an awful lot.
CB – Vanja Drkusic – 5/10
Helped to keep Slovenia’s shape in their low block, but he wasn’t overly commanding, either on the deck or in the air.
CB – Jaka Bijol – 4.5/10
Aerially imperious and had little to thwart thanks to Kane dropping very deep, but was reliable when called upon.
LB – Erik Janza – 5/10
Defended lazily against Saka in the first half but always looked to join Slovenia’s attack when possible. The 31-year-old picked up a yellow card for his troubles.
RM – Petar Stojanovic – 5/10
Caused a fair bit of trouble for Trippier, gliding down the right, and was one of Slovenia’s most-involved players. Helped keep Foden at bay too.
CM – Adam Gnezda Cerin – 5/10
Lack of dominance didn’t deter Cerin from being relatively bright on the ball. Looked to supply Slovenia’s two-man strike partnership but ultimately failed to spruce them into life.
CM – Timi Elsnik – 6/10
Enjoyed very little of the ball but nullified the threat of England’s star-studded midfield. Won his tackles, recovered well and wanted to get on the ball.
LM – Jan Mlakar – 3/10
Largely ineffectual in the little time he was in possession. Hooked for his poor performance.
ST – Benjamin Sesko – 4/10
Hardly a spirited performance and was reduced to very few touches of the ball. As his nation’s hardened frontman, you’d expect a lot more from a player earning heavy interest from some of the top Premier League clubs.
ST – Andraz Sporar – 4/10
Struggled to get involved and his passages of play with Sesko didn’t pay from start to finish. Reduced to long-range pot shots given his lack of service in and around the penalty box.
Sub – Josip Ilicic (75′ for Sesko) – 4/10
Given little time to provide any clear attacking intent.
Sub – Jon Gorenc-Stankovic (86′ for Mlakar) – N/A
Replaced Mlakar but had little to no involvement.
Sub – Zan Celar (86′ for Sporar) – N/A
Offered just shy of 10 minutes but pressed from the front.
Sub – Jure Balkovec (91′ for Janza) – N/A
Not enough time to impact proceedings.
Man of the Match
Kobbie Mainoo (England)
Despite having just 45 minutes to make a difference, Kobbie Mainoo – at just 19 years of age – proved his worth against Slovenia, offering a different layer of possibility with his calmness in possession and hard work out of it. The Stockport-born gem’s ability is no secret that, at times, he carried Manchester United to greatness last campaign.
Not only did he snuff out any danger from Slovenia but going up field, he always looked for a forward pass – rather than reducing England’s threat by going back to a defender. Such a change in Southgate’s engine room made a huge difference.
England’s midfield woes are no secret. The balance has been off from the start of this summer’s tournament and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher have struggled to assert themselves as regular starters to partner Declan Rice – so is it the start of a promising Euro 2024 campaign for Mainoo? It definitely should be.