Is anyone’s record worse than England’s? Can any team better Germany’s habit of success? We look at the numbers

The last European Championship that did not feature penalty shootout heartbreak/ecstasy was 1988, which had eight teams and only three knockout games. So it’s almost certain that at least one country will exit Euro 2024 on pens in the coming weeks. But of the sides in the last 16, which have the most reason for fear – or confidence – based on their past shootout record? And is there really a nation with a worse record than England? Answer: yes. Sort of.

Serie A success the springboard for star after rocky start with fans and that could spell trouble for England

Slovakia’s progress to the last 16 of Euro 2024, where a meeting with England in Gelsenkirchen awaits, has been a team effort, but the displays of one man in particular have especially stood out. Stanislav Lobotka has been central to Slovakia’s success in Germany, literally as well as figuratively, delivering man-of-the-match displays in the 1-0 win over Belgium and the decisive 1-1 draw with Romania. It is little surprise that the 29-year-old defensive midfielder is being linked with a big move away from Napoli this summer, but what is perhaps a shock is that his relationship with Slovak supporters has not always been easy going.

Lobotka has always been well-known in Slovakia for his hard work and humble attitude but, before the previous European Championship, some of the national team’s supporters did not want him involved. He was not in good form and was reportedly overweight when coming back from injury. It was not the best of times for Lobotka or Slovakia, who were eliminated from Euro 2020 after a 5-0 loss against Spain.

Francesco Calzona’s close-knit team have built a formidable rhythm with input from their former star Marek Hamsik

While England scramble around for cohesion, their next opponents have established a throbbing rhythm. Milan Skriniar prepared to offer his perspective on Sunday’s meeting but had to wait while the Slovakia kitman, Marek Kosan, took the floor. The camp had made a deal: if they progressed from the group stage he would have to publicly demonstrate his beatboxing skills. Kosan had no hiding place so played the captain in, accepting both enthusiastic applause and the unexpected consequences of success.

Slovakia hope a similarly pulsating display will break new ground on Sunday. They have never reached a quarter-final but feel rested and well prepared in historic Mainz, away from the crowds but only half an hour from the Frankfurt stadium where two of their previous games took place. The Gutenberg press and gegenpress were both born here: the latter comes to mind when Slovakia arrive to train at Bruchwegstadion, the atmospheric old ground where Jürgen Klopp made his name at Mainz.

Have people forgotten the pre-Southgate tournament record across a long period – including defeat by Iceland?

Time for an excursion. Time for Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland to live a little. The group stage’s done, the draw has opened up, the path to the final in Berlin is kind. Clearly, it’s time for them to step outside England’s secluded Blankenhain base, check in with the local tourist board and find out what the state of Thuringia has to offer.

A trip to the nearby city of Weimar is one option. But the bigger city of Erfurt, home to England’s press pack during Euro 2024, also has its charms. Here we find a medieval tour, quite a bit about the outspoken 16th-century monk Martin Luther and, continuing with the religious vibe, the amazing spectacle of Erfurt’s Old Synagogue, an 11th-century site that somehow avoided destruction by the Nazis.

The first knockout stage has several intriguing matches, including Spain against Georgia and France v Belgium

Italy are unbeaten against Switzerland in 11 games stretching back to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup but they look vulnerable here. They were worryingly open against both Albania and Spain and the switch to a back three against Croatia only seemed to make them flatter going forward. In goal Gianluigi Donnarumma has had a fine tournament, but a lack of creativity and the absence of a top-class centre-forward are major issues.

England’s next opponents are dangerous, as Belgium found out in the group stage, but they have a weakness up front

England’s opponents in the last 16 are Slovakia, the team ranked 45^th in the world and making their second appearance in the knockout stage of a European Championship. They generally impressed in qualifying from Group E, with some standout performers, but are not without their vulnerabilities. Here, we look at how they break down and what England should watch out for.

Since the attempted assassination of the prime minister, the far right has wasted no time in silencing its critics

Last Friday, I was sitting on the terrace of the cafe of the Slovakian parliament talking to an opposition MP about the government’s assault on independent media. The previous afternoon a law had been passed that puts the public broadcaster, RTVS, under the direct control of the Ministry of Culture.

“It’s part of a cycle. That’s what’s so scary,” Dana Kleinert of Progressive Slovakia told me, pointing also to the abolition of a special prosecutor’s office looking at political corruption and plans to curb public protests. “How far can they go? The answer is as far as they want.” She also noted the withdrawal of funding for LGBTQ+ groups, and the closure of a museum considered to be “putting the future of children in Slovakia in jeopardy”.

John Kampfner is the author of In Search of Berlin, Blair’s Wars and Why the Germans Do It Better

At least six dead in crash at railway crossing near Nové Zámky, which involved Prague to Budapest service

At least six people have been killed and five others injured after a passenger train and bus collided at a railway crossing in southern Slovakia, rescuers have said.

The crash occurred just after 5pm (3pm GMT) near the south-western town of Nové Zámky, the CTK news agency reported. The railway spokesperson, Vladimira Bahylova, told AFP the Eurocity train had been heading from Prague to Budapest.

Current and former Slovakia players believe they can exploit nervousness of favourites in Gelsenkirchen

England have not impressed at the Euros. They won their group and ended up on the “easier” side of the draw but in knockout football there are no guarantees and in Slovakia players, fans and experts are hopeful of causing an upset in the last 16 game in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.

England could only draw against Denmark and Slovenia while Slovakia beat Belgium in their first game. “[England] are a great team with amazing individuals,” said Adrian Gula, a former Wisla Krakow and Slovakia Under-21 coach. “[But] I wanted to play them in the last 16 given their performances in the tournament. I believe we can cause a big upset and I hope the boys and the coaching staff can pull it off. We will be the underdogs and we prospered in that role against Belgium. Our playing style is quite unforgiving, very proactive.”

• Southgate’s England topped group C with five points
• Winner of last-16 game will play Italy or Switzerland

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.

So much for the “Disgrace of Gijón” part two. Romania and Slovakia may have got the result they knew beforehand would guarantee both countries escaped from Group E, but there was no scintilla of a stitch‑up. Unlike the notorious match between Germany and Austria in 1982, this game was not played at walking pace but full throttle, with chances galore, even in the middle of an apocalyptic thunderstorm.

Ondrej Duda’s powerful header was cancelled out by Razvan Marin’s penalty and that meant Romania qualified top of the group, while ­Slovakia went through too as one of the best third-placed sides. With a crowd three‑quarters Romanian it felt like a home fixture at times, and the atmosphere was remarkable with noise and pyrotechnics throughout, but these were two evenly matched teams and a draw was a fair result. Honest.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images/3alexd)

Have electric vehicles been overhyped? A casual observer might have come to that conclusion after almost a year of stories in the media about EVs languishing on lots and letters to the White House asking for a national electrification mandate to be watered down or rolled back. EVs were even a pain point during last year's auto worker industrial action. But a look at the sales data paints a different picture, one where Tesla's outsize role in the market has had a distorting effect.

"EVs are the future. Our numbers bear that out. Current challenges will be overcome by the industry and government, and EVs will regain momentum and will ultimately dominate the automotive market," said Martin Cardell, head of global mobility solutions at consultancy firm EY.

Public perception hasn't been helped by recent memories of supply shortages and pandemic price gouging, but the chorus of concerns about EV sales became noticeably louder toward the end of last year and the beginning of 2024. EV sales in 2023 grew by 47 percent year on year, but the first three months of this year failed to show such massive growth. In fact, sales in Q1 2024 were up only 2.6 percent over the same period in 2023.

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