England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed a late substitution in the Euro 2024 round of 16 win over Slovakia left one player unhappy. England came from behind to secure victory after goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
Southgate opted against bringing on forward Ivan Toney earlier in the game when England needed attacking impetus, instead opting to bring him on in the 90+4th minute, with just a minute of normal time remaining. Toney later admitted that the manager’s delayed decision made him “very uncomfortable”. Fortunately, England’s 2-1 win and subsequent progression to the quarter-finals helped resolve the situation.
Southgate explained, “Ivan Toney was very unhappy about being brought on so late in the game. There was a bit of a friction between us, but it’s been resolved. And he was instrumental in helping us get the second goal.”
Southgate said: “When you bring on a substitute at that point in the game, it’s almost a gamble, they might not even get a touch. I totally understand his feelings, it’s a difficult position for a player to be in. But we felt his introduction could cause chaos in their defense.”
And it proved to be the right decision, as Toney – despite his limited time on the pitch – headed the ball down for Kane to score the winning goal in extra time. Southgate also added that Toney may not have even got a touch if Bellingham hadn’t equalized in the closing stages of normal time, taking the game to extra time.
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