England boss hails his team’s nerve-wracking 2-1 win over Denmark in extra time to set up maiden Euro final clash v Italy; Harry Kane’s men will look to end their 55-year title drought
Harry Kane scores off the rebound from his missed penalty for England’s second goal against Denmark during the Euro semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday. Pic/AP, PTI
England fed off the energy of a passionate Wembley crowd to beat Denmark 2-1 in extra time in the Euro 2020 semi-finals on Wednesday and now stand just 90 minutes away from ending their 55-year trophy drought.
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Gareth Southgate’s men will face Italy on Sunday—again on home turf—infused with belief they can win a first major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup.
For Euro 92 champions Denmark, defeat spells the end of a fairytale run. England emerged on a cool evening at Wembley after the crowd of almost 65,000 had whipped themselves into a frenzy with rousing renditions of “Sweet Caroline” and “Football’s Coming Home”.
England concede first goal
But Denmark ripped up the home script on the half-hour when Mikkel Damsgaard punished Luke Shaw for a foul on Andreas Christensen, smashing a free-kick past the despairing dive of Jordan Pickford.
Gareth Southgate
That was the first goal England had conceded in the entire tournament and thousands of British-based Danes celebrated wildly. The crowd went flat but England were level within 10 minutes when Denmark captain Simon Kjaer could only bundle the ball into his own net after a cross from Bukayo Saka.
Neither side could find a goal in the second period despite intense pressure from the home side as normal time drew to a close. The volume in the stadium increased in extra time as England put Denmark under intense pressure and they finally got their reward when Raheem Sterling was fouled in the box by Joakim Maehle.
Harry Kane’s penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel but he converted the rebound to give England the advantage and they held Denmark at bay to seal the win. The final whistle sparked scenes of delirium in the stands and on the pitch as the players partied with the crowd.
‘A fantastic night’
“When you’ve waited as long as we have to get through a semi-final, the players—considering the limited international experience some of them have—have done an incredible job,” Southgate told ITV. “We’ve given the fans and nation a fantastic night and the journey carries on for another four days.”
There was no panic, says Kane
England captain Harry Kane said his side’s experience of losing a World Cup semi-final three years ago helped pull them through a nerve-wracking clash with Denmark to reach the European Championship final for the first time. “We said all along, we can talk about how we’ve learned from 2018 but it’s about doing it on the pitch,” said Kane. “We stayed calm, there was no panic. These games are about character, digging in and belief.”
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