John Stones insists England are ready to take the handbrake off after their "fight and desire" saw them come from behind to dramatically beat Slovakia in extra-time and reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Gareth Southgate's side looked set to be heading home as Ivan Schranz’s first-half strike had Slovakia ahead until Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick deep into stoppage time tied the game.
Harry Kane then headed home to secure a 2-1 victory that sets up a quarter final clash with Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
Like their performances in the group stage, England laboured at times but ultimately got the job done and now Stones believes the team can now play with more freedom in Germany.
"What a game, what a way for us to get through," said Stones.
"It was not the way that we wanted to but I think the fight, the desire… that people wanted to see from us at home, from people in the stands – that fight for the shirt, for everyone that’s come out to support us was there and more.
"That’s what’s got us through, we didn’t play the best and that is down to us, which is frustrating,
"But I hope now, coming through such a tough time and doing things, taking risks with the ball, we can implement that now and kind of take the handbrake off in some senses to let our quality show."
Switzerland have impressed in the tournament so far and eased to a 2-0 victory over holders Italy on Saturday to progress into the last eight.
They will no doubt pose a threat to an England side still struggling to find their way but Stones feels they can overcome the challenge.
"I think we’ve got that belief now," he added.
"I think we had it before but we didn’t fully show that and our performances didn’t replicate that belief.
"We’ve got to always look at the negatives and the things that we can improve on because it’s a massive part of the games, massive part of what we do.
"We’re coming up another great side… another great test for us that we’re we’re excited for; I’ve not thought about it too much, to be honest, after the emotions but tomorrow we’ll be preparing as usual, and we’ve got to enjoy this, because it’s been tough, tough for everyone, and I want everyone to enjoy it."
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What a goal from Jude Bellingham! England have been awful for 94 minutes, only for the Real Madrid man to score a bicycle kick to send this game to extra-time #EURO2024
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For his part, Bellingham said he was hitting back at the "rubbish" being spoken as he rescued England's campaign with his last-gasp equaliser.
The Real Madrid man celebrated his wonder goal by raising his arms and shouting "Who else?" before seemingly gesturing a talking expression with his hand.
"The adrenaline gets you," he said when asked what was behind the celebration.
"It’s a combination of a lot of things. Playing for England is an enjoyable feeling but it’s also a lot of pressure. You hear people talk a lot of rubbish. It’s nice when you can deliver and give them a little bit back.
"It’s very difficult when you talk in press conferences and interviews to talk as openly as footballers want to because they’re always judged.
"For me, football, being on the pitch, scoring goals and celebrating is my release. Maybe it was a message to a few people. I was very happy at the end, lots of adrenaline.
"It’s a feeling that is like no other. In international football, in knockout football, it’s even a worse feeling, because you’re 30 seconds from going home.
"Having to listen to all the rubbish, feeling like you have let a nation of people down. In one kick of the ball, everything can change."
Pushed on what he meant by "rubbish" the 21-year-old gave a bullish response, saying: "You know what I mean by the rubbish.
"Playing for England should be the most proud moment of your career but often it’s quite difficult. There’s a really high intense pressure. The fans expect a lot from us regardless of what happened in recent tournaments years and years ago.
"People talk a lot. You do have to take it personally a little bit. We work so hard at this game. We come in every day, we work hard to put on a performance for the fans, sometimes it doesn’t go well and sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a pile on, it’s not nice to hear.
"But you can always use it and for moments like that, it’s nice to throw it back to some people."
Bellingham believes his goal and the ensuing comeback can now inspire England at Euro 2024, with Southgate and his players heavily criticised for their performances in Germany so far.
"Definitely, besides their goal I thought we were pretty good, to be honest," he said when asked if the turnaround could spark a lift-off at the tournament.
"We had a lot of control, we got in good areas. We were dangerous. We still had one or two moments where we could have been more clinical but in general I thought it was a good performance from us.
"The main thing is we showed character. You don’t experience things like that if you don’t have the adversity of the two draws, of going 1-0 down. It’s brilliant because it shows a reaction.
"It’s a habit I’ve picked up from Madrid. Obviously my game has improved a lot since I’ve joined and I’m grateful I could bring it to this game.
"It was 20-30 seconds until we’re out of the European Championship, the mood in comparison to now that it would have been is a massive difference and what it can do for the team going forward.
"It’s hard to deny it was one of the most important moments of my career so far. We’ll see, though, it’s still a long tournament and it’s only really very important if we go on to win the cup. We’ll decide in the next two weeks how important it is."
