It may have been a disastrous display, but England have been handed an all-time favourable Euro 2024 knockout round draw on the back of their 0-0 draw with Slovenia tonight.
England entered this game knowing that a victory would be enough to secure top spot in the group, although they could still slip as low as third depending on results elsewhere.
Their performance against Slovenia was an absolute shocker. Coming off poor showings against both Serbia and Denmark, it was expected that Gareth Southgate's team would respond to the criticism they have received in recent days.
In saying that, this was arguably the worst of the lot.
England were completely toothless in attack, failing to create any chances of note throughout the game. While they were rarely troubled at the back, it always looked likely that the match would peter out to 0-0 draw.
That proved to be the case. However, with Denmark failing to beat Serbia in the game's other group, the draw was enough for England to top the group.
That could prove to be an important factor later in the tournament.
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England Handed All-Time Easy Euro 2024 Draw
England may have been incredibly underwhelming so far during Euro 2024, but they could yet advance deep into the tournament due to the lopsided nature of the draw.
Thanks to Austria surprisingly topping Group D, most of the tournament favourites will now play on the same side of the draw.
The likes of France, Portugal, Spain, and Germany will all play on the same side of the draw. As a result, only one of those sides can reach the final.
Conveniently, England now find themselves on the opposite side of the fixture tree. They are set to be joined by the likes of Austria, Italy, and Belgium, as well as possibly the Netherlands (depending on how the third placed seedings play out).
That means that England would have an incredibly favourable run all the way to the final, with the four most impressive teams at Euro 2024 all on the other side of the draw.
In other words, they would not have to play any of the most fancied teams at Euro 2024 until the final. You can see the current status of the bracket below.
This is not the first time that the English would benefit from a kind draw. That was also the case at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, where they faced very few quality opponents before being eliminated in the semi-final and final respectively.
Of course, their form at this tournament means that it is far from a guarantee that they will make the most of this favourable path. Still, they could not ask for a better scenario.
It would not be a surprise if we were subjected to their dire brand of football at Euro 2024 for another while yet.
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