- England were eliminated from progressing to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 by Slovakia
- Francesco Calzona got involved in a feud with Declan Rice after full-time
- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EURO DAILY: England don’t look like a team… they need a fire lit under them
Francesco Calzona has spoken out about the intense scenes that unfolded after the match between England and Slovakia last Sunday.
England have not lived up to their reputation as favorites in Germany ahead of the tournament and the round of 16 was no exception.
Ivan Schranz’s first-half goal seemed enough for Slovakia to pull off a historic upset, but Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored to turn the tide for Gareth Southgate’s team.
After the whistle blew, both Calzona and England’s Declan Rice made their way to the referee before a confrontation broke out involving members of the Italian’s coaching staff.
Calzona shoved the midfielder in the chest, prompting Rice to respond angrily with a series of insults revealed exclusively by Mail Sport.
Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona has given his account of his post-match clash with Declan Rice on Sunday
The Italian pushed Rice in the chest as they both approached referee Umut Meler after the final whistle
An angry Rice could then be seen being led away from his England teammates
Calzona continued to insist after his team’s defeat that Rice was responsible for the skirmish.
‘Declan should have gone to the referee, said goodbye and left.’ The former Napoli boss said this Sportsweb.
‘I wanted to speak to the referee. Then he apologized to me.’
Although England ultimately advanced to the quarter-finals, you are fortunate that they advanced against a team ranked 45th in the world by FIFA.
Slovakian striker Ivan Schranz gave his side a deserved lead in the 25th minute in Gelsenkirchen when he fired a shot past Jordan Pickford.
England spent the next hour chasing an equaliser, but a moment of magic from Jude Bellingham kept the country’s hopes alive just before the end of the match.
Moments after the restart, Harry Kane headed home from close range to give England the lead.
An anxious wait followed, but England managed to hold on and book their place in the last eight.
Cazlona revealed that the Arsenal midfielder later apologized to him for the incident
“I feel more pride than disappointment,” Calzona said of his team’s performance after the game.
‘We almost beat one of the best teams in the world and advanced. We tried very hard, we almost got ahead. We have not been able to move forward.
‘In extra time we were in the opponent’s half for half an hour. I’m proud that we did it this way and did it so well.’