‘An unusual atmosphere’

England’s John Stones wears a dejected look after a missed opportunity against Slovenia. Pic/Getty Images

Gareth Southgate bemoaned the "unusual" environment around England after the Three Lions boss was pelted with cups while his players were booed off following Tuesday's lacklustre 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024. Southgate's side finished top of Group C despite a third successive underwhelming performance that was greeted with disdain by their fans in Cologne. While Slovenia's players and fans celebrated wildly at the other end of the stadium after reaching the knockout stage, Southgate and his players were greeted with jeers when they trudged towards the England supporters.

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Gareth Southgate

Southgate was targeted by beer cups that missed the Three Lions boss but clearly left an impression on his psyche. Pleading with England's fans to create a positive vibe around the team, Southgate said: "I've not seen any other team qualify and receive a similar reaction. I'm very proud of the players for the way they handle it. The players kept composure in a game when they have come into it with a really challenging environment. It's taken me back to days when I was playing for England. I'm not going to back away from it. I understand the narrative towards me, better for me than it being towards them. It's creating an unusual atmosphere to operate in."

Slovenia coach thanks ‘kiss of fate' to reach last 16

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek said his team had luck on their side but deserved to progress to the last 16 of Euro 2024 after holding England to a 0-0 draw. Kek's men are now unbeaten in nine games and qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams after drawing all of their Group C matches. Slovenia only missed out on 2nd place in the section due to Denmark's superior disciplinary record. "I didn't expect to be going into the knockout phase. This was a kiss of fate and we were lucky. The luck we lacked against Serbia we had today. We showed with our play we deserved to be here," said Kek.

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