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England finished top of the Group of Dearth courtesy of a dire, drab, dull draw with Slovenia that was worthy of a stream of more four-letter words.

The point they earned meant they will now play the equivalent of a lucky loser in the last 16. They are also on the side of the draw denuded of Germany, Portugal, France and Spain.

The catch is, if they keep playing like this, they are going absolutely nowhere except home after the first knockout game, which may be against the Netherlands, or any of the teams in Group E - Romania, Belgium, Slovakia or Ukraine. 

On this form, it would be unwise to back England to beat any of them. Gareth Southgate and his side are muddling through this European Championship without anything that looks remotely like conviction.

If there has been some scintillating football in this tournament, precious little of it has come from Group C. England beat Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia out of it but it was a grim, grim struggle.

They look like a mixture of a team that is scared to death and tired out. They keep talking about the weight of the shirt and it seems to be hanging more and more heavily around their shoulders.

They are evolving but they are evolving uncertainly. Phil Foden had his best game of the tournament so far but Jude Bellingham probably had his worst. Harry Kane is still misfiring. Playing Conor Gallagher was a plan they have already given up on.

The night ended with Gareth Southgate applauding the England fans and the England fans slinging plastic cups at him. It was that kind of night.

As expected, it was announced before the match that Southgate had abandoned the experiment of playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield and moved Conor Gallagher into his place alongside Declan Rice at the base of England's midfield.

England started the game with more energy and intent than in their previous two games but Bellingham and Marc Guehi both gave the ball away cheaply in quick succession in their own half.

Even if those lapses weren't punished, Slovenia created the first chance of the game in the opening minutes when the ball was headed across the area to danger-man Benjamin Sesko. He was unmarked but his tame header fell gently into the arms of Jordan Pickford.

England struggled to find a rhythm. John Stones allowed a ball from Guehi to run under his foot and into touch, a ball wide to Kieran Trippier sailed high over the full-back's head into the crowd and Trippier was booked for a high tackle on Zan Karnicnik.

They played with more energy. They even made fitful attempts at a high press but there was little consistency to that. And once again, there was a lack of movement. England are best when they play at a high tempo but too often, the player on the ball had nothing to aim at and played square or backwards.

Gallagher's presence did shore up England's midfield. There were fewer opposition line-breaks than in the previous two games. But England were up against another low block and, once again, they laboured to break it down. Once again, they looked anxious and fretful.

England thought they had unlocked the Slovenian defence midway through the half when Rice played a first-time pass to Phil Foden, Foden took a touch and crossed for Bukayo Saka, who tapped it into the net. The flag went up straight away. Foden was offside.

Too often at this tournament England have looked like a team that is missing a beat. They have lacked a connection. So when Foden made a promising, darting run to the edge of the area, he flicked the ball left to Kane and Kane was caught flat-footed. He watched it roll into touch. Foden looked mystified.

Foden arrowed a 30-yard free-kick towards the top corner but Jan Oblak is too good a goalkeeper to be beaten from that distance. England, though, were starting to drop hints that they might yet cause Slovenia problems.

They should have scored five minutes before half-time. Trippier whipped in a superb cross from the left. It was hit with pace and curl and Gallagher rose to meet it just in front of the penalty spot. It only needed a touch to direct it in but Gallagher missed it. Kane flung himself at it at the back post but he missed it, too.

Bellingham, who won England's game against Serbia almost single-handed, was restricted to a peripheral presence in the first half here. On the stroke of half-time, Saka played a ball in to him on the edge of the box and then ran for the return.

Bellingham flicked it back to him but Saka did not read it and the ball rolled to a Slovenian. Another disconnect. When the whistle blew for half-time, it was met with a sullen chorus of murmuring boos from the England fans.

Gallagher did not come out after the break. He was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo. It was a ruthless move from Southgate but it also spoke of a manager who had tried one more option and given up on it after 45 minutes. Things evolve fast at tournaments but this was warp-speed.

Mainoo injected more positivity into the side immediately and Kane almost freed Bellingham with a brilliant pass behind the Slovenia defence. Bellingham stretched for it and controlled it but his touch took it far enough away from him to allow a Slovenian defender to recover and clear.

England finally threatened the opposition goal 10 minutes into the second half. Kane nodded the ball down firmly from a corner and it bounced towards the goal before it was half-cleared by Jaka Bijol.

Guehi headed it back into the six-yard box and Saka tried to score with an overhead kick but only succeeded in flattening a Slovenia defender. The burst of action raised the spirits of the England fans, at least, who burst into song at the other end.

England pinned Slovenia deep in their own half but when their opponents eventually broke out, Andraz Sporar wriggled away from Guehi and was about to play in Sesko when Guehi cut his losses and dragged Sporar down. Guehi was booked. Slovenia wasted the free kick.

England returned the favour at the other end. Kane was dragged down on the edge of the box, Bijol was booked for hauling him down and Trippier overhit the free kick to the back post. It was a dismal sequence.

Cole Palmer came on for Saka and began to ask more questions of the Slovenia defence. It felt as if England were getting closer but there was still plenty of frustration boiling up inside them. Foden was booked for dissent.

The game petered out. Slovenia celebrated wildly in front of their fans. England's fans through missiles at their manager. England, and Southgate, are running out of time.