It had been universally accepted that England needed a performance to reinvigorate their fans here in Germany after the toil of their opening Euro 2024 ties against Serbia and Denmark. Well, one of the principal takeaways from a claustrophobic and emotional night was that the fans were certainly connected. Moved to boo at the interval after a flat display, they raised the intensity in the second period, belting out their songs for almost the duration of it. There was something faintly heroic about their efforts. They willed their team to make the breakthrough and yet it did not happen for a reason. Gareth Southgate’s team lacked the penetration and the quality where it mattered the most, despite dominating for pretty much the entire occasion in terms of possession and territory. And when it was all over, there were more boos from them, with even more feeling. When Southgate ventured on to the pitch to acknowledge them, he was jeered by those who had remained behind, some of the fans throwing cups at him. It felt like a footnote that England actually qualified on top of the section after Denmark’s draw with Serbia and will now face a third-placed team in the last 16, which is still to be determined. The overriding emotion was more frustration, more questions that went unanswered. It was hot; literally, metaphorically. Southgate’s “reset” line had framed the contest and it was possible to buy into the pre-match hope of the England fans loaded on to the trams from central Cologne, the songs reverberating, the tributes to Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and, yes, Harry Maguire. When the first whistle went, there was anticipation in the clammy air, the post-Denmark negativity forgotten. Well, briefly. What was the reset? The starting XI was virtually the same, only one change – Conor Gallagher for Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield; the less said about that the better – and Southgate had only enjoyed three days with the players on the training pitch in Blankenhain. Perhaps, it was more of a pause, a breath; a few tweaks, more of a doubling down, faith in the process. “Your best players are still your best players,” Southgate said. It was easy to feel the nervous tension at the outset. England hearts hammered. The scrutiny on every move, every duel was forensic. There were a few loose moments in the early running from those in white, especially on the ball. They drew the battle lines high, Gallagher encouraged to push up the inside right channel. One of the talking points concerned whether England could move the ball with any degree of slickness. It was a major failing against Denmark. The supporters here wanted something to get behind, anything, and there was a flicker midway through the first-half. It was a fine reverse pass from Declan Rice that got Foden in up the left, crossing to give Bukayo Saka a tap-in. Foden was pulled back for offside. England had never previously lost to Slovenia, winning five of the six meetings, including the one in the final group tie at the 2010 World Cup. Matjaz Kek’s team is ranked 57th in the world, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Paraguay. It was plain that England would need guile because Slovenia were committed and compact in their 4-4-2 shape. They were happy to let Southgate’s players have the ball, asking the question: Can you hurt us? The answer in the first half was a resounding no. England brought the energy, which was a plus point. Foden was in the mood off the left, England’s most dangerous attacker. Saka had a few flickers. But it was extremely thin gruel and it was no surprise to hear more boos from the England support when the half-time whistle went. The patterns were too predictable, there was not enough zip and incision. Gallagher was there for the hustle rather than his quality in possession while Bellingham could get nothing going before the interval. Slovenia offered little in attacking terms in the first-half but equally they were not overly worried at the back. Foden drew a routine save out of Jan Oblak with a long-range free-kick and the only moment when England quickened the pulse before half-time was when Kieran Trippier whipped in a dangerous right-footed cross from the inside left. Gallagher looked as though he had to get there for the header only for the ball to flash over him. Harry Kane could not react behind him. Southgate had binned the Alexander-Arnold experiment and he did likewise with the one involving Gallagher after 45 minutes. It is not possible to possess such a hesitant touch and thrive on an occasion such as this. Southgate went for the greater assurance on the ball of Kobbie Mainoo for the second half. Slovenia knew that a draw would be enough for them. They had little incentive to change their approach after the break. Maybe they could even hit the jackpot on the counter. The onus remained firmly on England. Southgate’s team stabilised. Mainoo made a difference. There were still moments of looseness; Foden took on a speculative 30-yard volley, Kyle Walker fluffed a first-time cross when he could have taken a touch. But England came to enjoy control. Saka could not quite connect with an overhead kick after a penalty area melee. The England support turned up the decibel level. They got louder and louder because they believed that a goal was coming. And if they did not believe, they sang anyway, losing themselves in the moment, the occasion. It was stirring. It could not mask that England did not do enough and when the substitute, Cole Palmer, shot straight at Oblak, the stalemate was set.