TWO beer cups were hurled towards Gareth Southgate after the drab draw with Slovenia.
England were held to a stalemate by Slovenia but still managed to claim top spot in Group C.
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Much had been made about the Three Lions’ first two matches at Euro 2024.
They firstly struggled to a 1-0 win over Serbia before last week’s dour 1-1 draw with Denmark.
But fan frustration boiled over in Cologne as a chorus of boos met the final whistle.
Then various reports from people in the ground say that two cups were spotted being thrown in the direction of the England boss as he applauded supporters at the end.
On beers being chucked at him, he said: “I understand it. I’m not going to back away from it. The most important thing is we stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me.
“That’s better for the team than it being towards them but it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar. I’m not going to back away from it.”
Despite the under-whelming displays, Southgate’s men now have a potential route to the final that avoids a chunk of their fellow tournament favourites.
All of Spain, Germany, Portugal and France are on the other side of the draw – meaning the Three Lions could only play one of them in the final.
They will now play either Netherlands, Czech Republic, Turkey or Georgia in the last-16.
Southgate told ITV: “We have got to play well and whoever we play is going to be a really tough game.
“We shouldn’t be seduced by which half of the draw. So many things are starting to come together. We had a lot of issues before the tournament.
“I think the way the defence has played has been a huge positive and something to build on. We created chances but we just have to convert those chances.”
Southgate opted to put Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield for the opening two matches – a decision that attracted huge criticism – but chose Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher tonight.
But fans were convinced that the tactical tweak was not working even before half time but still there was no sign of attackers Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon.
Eventually, the duo did come on near the end and instantly looked sharper than their team-mates had all game before their arrival.
Southgate said: “He [Palm] did very good. He finds space well and he makes chances and we were backing him to score at the end.
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“They are young players and we are blooding them in a difficult environment. They had a good impact for us and did good things for us. Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, it was a really good move.
“We have to build on that. There were a lot of things to build on from tonight.”
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Southgate concluded: “I understand the reactions but it is a tough environment.
“We tried to win the game by the changes we made. We put attacking players on the pitch.”
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