England will play Slovakia in the last 16 of Euro 2024. The two teams will meet in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals, where Switzerland or Italy awaits.

Gareth Southgate’s side has been heavily criticised after one win and two draws and largely uninspiring performances in Germany. However, they topped Group C and are now on what looks like the easier side of the draw.

“They defended well. We weren’t able to find the right pass,” Southgate said after the 0-0 draw against Slovenia, before adding: “We’re improving. I didn’t think that with how everything that happened after the last game that would suddenly be free and liberated and stick four or five goals in. Football doesn’t work that way. But I saw progress. The goals will come.”

Slovakia qualified for the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides, having finished behind Romania and Belgium in the tight Group E, in which all teams finished on four points.

They started their Euro 2024 campaign with a shock 1-0 win against Belgium before defeat against Ukraine and a draw with Romania. The Slovakia manager, Francesco Calzona, said: “I am happy with the progression of the last 16, it was important.”

Slovakia are appearing in their third successive European Championship finals. They reached the last 16 in 2016 and exited at the group stage in the last edition of the tournament.