Ron is after a pay rise
opener, had created little until Albert Rasnak swung in a routine corner.
Everton’s Mason Holgate missed the run of Chrien and failed to offer a proper challenge as the Slovak striker glanced a header past Jordan Pickford.
It should have produced a response. For too long, it didn’t. In fact, Slovakia came closest to scoring again when Jaroslav Mihalik forced a diving save from Pickford from 25 yards.
At the other end it wasn’t until firsthalf stoppage-time that Adrian Chovan made his first real save, tipping over a free-kick from Ward-Prowse.
Reacted
Murphy replaced Holgate at the break and within five minutes England were level.
Chovan saved Mawson’s first effort from a cross by Murphy, but the Swansea defender reacted quickest to tap home the easiest of equalisers.
Eleven minutes later it was two. Abraham held the ball up under all sorts of pressure and laid off to WardProwse, whose first-time hit picked out Redmond in space.
He still had it all to do but cut inside his man and launched a rocket which flew into the top corner, before he was mobbed by his team-mates.
Things got heated when Branislav Ninaj caught Abraham in the throat with a stray elbow. Slovakian players were not happy that referee Gediminas Mazeika stopped play.
But the Chelsea striker, whistled mercilessly by the Slovakian fans, needed lengthy treatment and eventually had to be replaced by Cauley Woodrow as England held out. ENGLAND (4-1-2-1-2): SLOVAKIA (4-1-4-1): Ref: move to the La Liga giants in 2009, signed a new five-year deal in November.
That bumper pay rise helped Ronaldo, 32, become the best-paid sportsman in the world, earning around £73m a year.
Mourinho, his boss at Real for three years, believes this is a tactic to negotiate another lucrative contract.
It has also been claimed that Ronaldo wants the European champions to pay his disputed tax bill.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored a club record 406 goals in his 394 appearances for Real.
Bayern Munich have ruled themselves out of the running for the Portuguese ace. Bayern are keen on Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez and CEO KarlHeinz Rummenigge said: “We’re used to being the subject of intense transfer speculation.
“Normally we don’t comment on rumours, but this is unfounded and must be consigned to the realms of fantasy.”