While England fans celebrated drawing Slovakia as their team’s last-16 opponents at Euro 2024, midfielder Jude Bellingham warned that smaller nations are no pushovers — and the performances of other minnows in Germany is a great example.

England finished top of Group C but stumbled through three tepid first-round games and now face third-placed side Slovakia on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen after a wild race to the finish in Group E where all four teams finished on four points.

“I think people look at the draw and see Slovakia and think it will be an easy game,” Bellingham told England’s in-house “Lions Den” broadcast on Thursday.

“It definitely is not the case because they will be a different type of threat and will be difficult to break down,” he said. “I think when you play nations who come at you a bit more, it’s a lot more open.

“I think that you’re always going to have tough games at this point in the tournament,” Bellingham added.

Georgia’s 2-0 win over Portugal in Group F on Wednesday — a team ranked 68 spots above them — is the best example of a nation outperforming expectations in Germany.

Slovakia shocked Belgium 1-0 in their opening match. “The smaller nations, have made progress,” Slovakia manager and former coffee salesman Francesco
Calzona said.