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England will play Slovakia in the first knockout round of Euro 2024.

The sides will face off in the last-16 clash on Sunday at 5pm (UK time).

It comes after the Three Lions qualified top of their group following a 0-0 draw against Slovenia on Tuesday.

If the team can overcome their counterparts from the central European nation, they will be just two wins from reaching the final in Berlin.

Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrate after the Real Madrid star's goal for England. Pic: AP
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Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrate the Real Madrid star’s opening goal against Serbia. Pic: AP

Until Wednesday evening, there had been uncertainty over who England’s next opponents would be.

However, the date with Slovakia was confirmed following Georgia’s shock win over Portugal in their final group game.

The Three Lions avoided a tougher opposition in the Netherlands after the Dutch slumped to a shock third place finish in their group, following a defeat at the hands of Ralf Rangnick’s revitalised Austria.

It puts England in a seemingly good position on the supposedly “easier” side of the knockout draw, as they will avoid the likes of France, Portugal, Spain and Germany on their way to the final – if they can make it there.

England manager Gareth Southgate on the touchline during the UEFA Euro 2024 match at the Frankfurt Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. Picture date: Thursday June 20, 2024.
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England manager Gareth Southgate. File pic: PA

Who could England play in the quarter-finals?

If England win their last-16 tie, they will then face the winners of Saturday’s knockout clash between Switzerland and Italy in Dusseldorf.

The quarter-final match will be played on Saturday 6 July at 5pm (UK time).

France's Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session in Paderborn, Germany, Thursday, June 13, 2024. Mbappe was absent when the squad took part in an open practice session at its European Championship base on Thursday. France will play against Austria during their Group D soccer match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament on June 17. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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France’s Kylian Mbappe. File pic: AP

What about the semi-finals?

Assuming England win their last-16 and quarter-final matches, the national side will face either Romania, the Netherlands, Austria or Turkey on Wednesday 10 July at 8pm (UK time).

Read more:
Glastonbury will not show England match
Gareth Southgate shrugs off Euros criticism

And the final?

France or Germany are among the favourites to make it to the final on Sunday July 14 – although Spain and Portugal are also considered strong contenders.

However, there have already been so many twists in the tournament that an outsider – such as (so far) undefeated Slovenia – cannot be completely ruled out.

But some critics of England’s players and manager will not be expecting the side to make it that far.

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
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Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

More on London Marathon 2025

There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
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Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

More on Electoral Dysfunction

A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

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