Slovakia manager hits out at referee and slams England star's time-wasting antics after 2-1 defeat at EURO 2024
Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona lambasted the referee and called out England shot-stopper Jordan Pickford for his time-wasting antics in their Round of 16 clash at EURO 2024. Despite leading for most of the game, Calzona's side fell to an excruciating 2-1 defeat due to a late comeback from Gareth Southgate's side.
Slovakia took everyone by surprise when Ivan Schranz prodded them in front in the 25th minute. They defended the lead staunchly until the 95th minute when star midfielder Jude Bellingham produced an acrobatic overhead strike to force the game into extra time.
Three Lions captain Harry Kane scored in the first minute of the added period, and his side held on to condemn Slovakia to a heartbreaking loss. Speaking of the refereeing and turning a blind eye towards Pickford's overt time-wasting, Calzona said (via Eurosport):
"I absolutely accept the defeat; what I don't accept is obstructionism and only one minute of added time. Their goalkeeper wasted a lot of time, and I didn't like the refereeing at all, not at all. The referee was always near our bench, they never went to the other one. I didn't like that at all."
Aside from the allegations he levelled against the referees, he reiterated the pride he felt for his side's determination and effort against their fancied opponents. He added:
"I am absolutely proud because we played a great match against an opponent in contention for the title. for victory. My team showed a lot of quality; we were really good, we conceded very little, and we came very close to qualifying. It's a pity... I repeat, I am extremely proud of my team. I told the boys, ‘Well done,’ because they really were."
"This is a squad worth 1.5 billion" - Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona expresses pride over his side's performance in 2-1 defeat to England
Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona was full of praise for his side's resolve and courage in their heart-rending 2-1 defeat against England in the Round of 16 at EURO 2024.
Calzona explained how the gulf in quality between his side and the superstar-laden opposition squad mattered less than the moments in the game, which seemed to go England's way. He said (via Eurosport):
"The final result? We have to say that we conceded a goal with just a few seconds left, scored by a player who costs 100 million euros, and this is a squad worth 1.5 billion... We spent 30 minutes in their half, and it’s a source of pride to see that a team like that brought in defenders and defensive midfielders just to get a result. It's understandable that if you gift them half a metre, they can punish you."
Up next, England will take on Switzerland in a well-matched quarter-final fixture at Dusseldorf's Merkur Spiel-Arena on July 6. Southgate's side cannot afford to have any loose ends from start to finish against the Swiss, who overcame defending champions Italy 2-0 in the Round of 16.