JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
England will make their second appearance in the final of a major European football championship event, Euro 2020, and will once again play on home soil, having won the country’s only ever world title at the 1966 World Cup.
The Italians advanced to the final on Tuesday, beating the Spaniards in the semi-finals after a penalty shootout. The game was tied 1-1 after regulation time and extra time, but the Italians were the better side in the penalty shootout, winning 4-2.
The English started the match by imposing intense pressure and effectively blocking counter-attacks in their rivals’ half. However, after a quarter of an hour the Danes found a way to break through the English defence.
There were a few English attacks, and one was created in the 22nd minute
Pickford looked for Kane with a long pass, but the ball went straight to Kjaer.
The Danes also created dangerous chances and one such was successfully taken in the 30th minute when Luke Shaw fouled Andreas Christensen inside the 25-yard box. Mikkel Damsgaard stepped up to take the free kick. The Sampdoria winger took his team into the lead with a powerful shot. During the current European Championships, it was the first goal scored from a free kick.
The missed goal did not cut the wings of the English. England continued to put pressure on their rivals,
In the 32nd minute, what a strike it was! Mikkel Damsgaard struck with the inside of his foot over the wall. The ball instantly passed the players and flew past Pickford, who did not have time to react properly.
It came to fruition in the 39th minute. Harry Kane went down towards the middle of the pitch and played a perpendicular ball to Bukayo Saki running in behind the defenders. The winger burst into the penalty area and flat-footed it to Raheem Sterling. Simon Kjaer tried to cut through the action, but his attempt to stop his rivals ended in a suicide goal.
After the break the second half started in England’s favour as they began to dominate and set the tempo and their style, and their advantage was evident at times. Very well played in the match goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. (First he superbly fended off Harry Maguire’s head shot with his fingertips, and then he took Mason Mount’s dangerous centre over the crossbar. He played with confidence, directing his fellow defenders well. It was thanks in part to his attitude that extra time came) .
In the 52nd minute Denmark had another chance. Dolberg took the ball in front of the rivals’ penalty area and flatly hit the near post. This time Pickford saved the team from losing the goal!
In the 55th minute Harry Maguire came close to luck, but his head shot was stopped by Schmeichel.
But in the 56th minute a very good parade intervention by Schmeichel! Maguire hit the post after a break and the goalkeeper saved his team from losing the goal with his fingertips.
It was in the 59th minute that Dolberg again had plenty of space in front of the net, he again hit the ball flat, but this time Pickford grabbed the ball with great composure.
A good situation in the 60th minute of the game but it was close! Luke Shaw got involved, Sterling passed to him and after a flat pass the ball almost rolled into the goal. There is a corner for the English.
It was in the 71st minute that two offensive actions of the Danes stopped at a safe distance from Pickford’s goal.
In a good action happened in the 100` Sterling first confused his rival for a mark shot and then sent the ball into the stands.
In the 102nd minute there was quite a controversy. Raheem Sterling ran into the rivals’ penalty area and fell to the turf with two Danes attacking him. It seemed that there was no contact between the players, yet Danny Makkelie whistled a penalty kick. The referee chose not to check the situation on the screen, and after a hint received from the VAR arbiters, he did not reverse his decision. Harry Kane stepped up to take the ‘eleven’. Kasper Schmeichel defended the Tottenham sniper’s strike, but he was helpless against his strike.
Well it happened in the 104th minute we have a penalty . It seemed that Sterling should get a yellow card for simulation. However, the referee upheld the decision. In the 105th minute Harry Kane struck lightly into the left corner of Schmeichel’s goal. The Danish goalkeeper has defended the eleven, but he deflected the ball too lightly and the English striker completed the formalities. 2 : 1 for England
In 115′ Braithwaite hit from distance and Pickford cleared the ball for a corner.
Still in 116′ What a sacrificial defence of the English. Maguire didn’t calculate and knocked the ball away for a corner kick.
Here they still try in 118′ Sterling’s start, after a moment Maehle loses the ball and in such chaos both teams have to find their way.
119′ The English do not give up the ball, proving that they are a class team.
And that’s not the end of the English attacks, who try to increase the score to 3-1 in the 120th minute, Schmeichel defends Sterling’s shot from an acute angle.
“Hear them roar! That means England beat Denmark in extra time, the ‘Three Lions’ have ended a 55-year wait for the grand final and will face Italy in it.”
It was the first goal scored directly from a free kick in this tournament and the first lost by England. Coach Gareth Southgate’s charges betrayed no signs of panic, however. They quickly seized the initiative and sought to equalise.
After an evenly fought and tense encounter, England progressed to their first European Championship final since 1966 when they reached the World Cup final
England beat Denmark 2-1 in extra time in the semi-finals of the European Championship on Wednesday. They played better than their rivals throughout the match at London Wembley, but the decisive goal came after a highly dubious penalty kick
The Danes bid farewell to the championship of the Old Continent. Today’s defeat is defeat number three on the Danish national team’s account. In the group phase, they lost to Finland and Belgium. However, today’s defeat was the most painful, as it eliminates Denmark from the event. After a disastrous start to Euro 2020, when Christian Eriksen suffered a heart attack during the match, Denmark showed their will to fight and determination to reach their goal. It played for its national teammate and did so very well up to and including Wednesday night.
Denmark’s players may have caused the biggest sensation of the entire tournament and also lifted the spirits of their colleague, who is now well and probably planning to return to football.
England – Denmark 2:1 after extra time (1:1, 1:1)
Goals: Kjaer (39.-suicide), Kane (104.) – Damsgaard (30.).
Yellow cards: Harry Maguire – Daniel Wass.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands).
Spectators: 65,000.
England: Jordan Pickford – Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw – Declan Rice (95. Jordan Henderson), Kalvin Phillips, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount (95. Phil Foden), Bukayo Saka (69. Jack Grealish, 106. Kieran Trippier) – Harry Kane.
Denmark: Kasper Schmeichel – Andreas Christensen (79. Joachim Andersen), Simon Kjaer, Jannik Vestergaard (105. Jonas Wind) – Jens Stryger Larsen (67. Daniel Wass), Pierre Emile Hoejbjerg, Thomas Delaney (88. Mathias Jensen), Joakim Maehle – Mikkel Damsgaard (67. Yussuf Poulsen), Kasper Dolberg (67. Christian Noergaard), Martin Braithwaite.
