'We have to accept this is England's identity'

England are into nan quarter-finals of Euro 2024 and yet that is each that matters but, for 95 minutes, that was a hopeless capacity against Slovakia.

I was watching it reasoning it was Iceland and Euro 2016 each complete again, because we were conscionable arsenic bad arsenic we were successful that embarrassing defeat, but past Jude Bellingham has saved america pinch a world-class finish.

Up until then, we had been awful. You ne'er springiness up dream successful immoderate crippled erstwhile you are only 1-0 down, but location were adjacent to nary signs that we were going to find an equaliser from anyplace until that portion of brilliance. The emotion was axenic relief.

That was nan first changeable we had connected target, which is simply a dismal statistic erstwhile you see nan value of our players and nan level of guidance that we were up against, but it was nan 1 that mattered.

When Harry Kane sewage different extremity to put america up - pinch our only different changeable connected target of nan 120 minutes, by nan measurement - you are reasoning 'go and decorativeness nan crippled off' but alternatively we sat backmost consecutive away, and came nether immense pressure.

It was different difficult watch from past connected until nan last whistle and no-one wants america to spot america driblet heavy for illustration that, but we person to judge that is nan measurement Gareth Southgate wants america to play.

The grounds is location now that this is who were are, and this is our personality successful awesome finals.

Everyone is crying retired for him to springiness america immoderate attacking football, but his England broadside person played for illustration this successful erstwhile tournaments excessively - and it sewage america to nan semi-final of nan 2018 World Cup and nan last of Euro 2020. He is not going to alteration now.

The biggest affirmative to return distant from Sunday’s crippled is that England recovered a way.

Knockout shot is conscionable astir getting done to nan adjacent information sloppy of your capacity and someway - I still don’t cognize precisely really - we person done that.

In 4 games and adjacent to 400 minutes connected nan transportation astatine this tournament, we person not played good different than for nan first half-hour of our opening lucifer against Serbia.

But nan point successful each 4 of those games is that location has ever been a ‘but’ on pinch really mediocre we person been, and nan large ‘but’ now is that we person won and are into nan past eight.

Of people we tin still do overmuch amended that this successful each area, but possibly Bellingham’s extremity is nan spark this squad person been looking for.

You ever cognize moments for illustration that tin alteration nan full temper of a tourney because it has happened to England before.

As good arsenic Paul Gascoigne’s superb extremity against Scotland astatine Euro ’96, nan champion illustration is astir apt David Platt’s last-gasp victor against Belgium astatine nan 1990 World Cup, which was nan infinitesimal England started playing.

For that to hap present too, Southgate will surely person to make immoderate changes. It is not moving retired for Phil Foden connected nan left, nan aforesaid measurement arsenic trying Trent Alexader-Arnold and past Conor Gallagher successful midfield did not activity either.

I was screaming for Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon to beryllium brought connected astatine half-time against Slovakia, but we had to hold until nan 65th infinitesimal for Palmer to get connected and Gordon did not get a chance astatine all.

Whoever plays against Switzerland connected Saturday, though, we will person to up our crippled importantly because nan Swiss will beryllium without a uncertainty nan champion squad we person faced truthful far.

The 3 teams we faced successful our group, Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, were each stubborn and did not airs overmuch of a threat, but England’s defence was shaky whenever Slovakia came astatine america successful nan first half.

The Swiss will beryllium well-organised again, conscionable pinch much value and carrying much of a threat. They person been 1 of nan champion teams astatine these Euros truthful far, and aft coming adjacent to beating Germany they perfectly outclassed Italy.

If we play arsenic severely arsenic we did successful nan first 95 minutes against Slovakia, past nan aforesaid could hap to us.

To debar that, England request to study their instruction astir what has gone incorrect truthful acold and guarantee it does not hap again.

If we spell connected to triumph this tourney past no-one will attraction astir what happened successful our first 4 games aliases really mediocre we were, but we are going to person to amended massively to moreover get close.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.