In the second semifinal of the European Championships in London, England’s footballers defeated Denmark 2: 1 after extra time and advanced to the Euro finals for the first time in history. Coach Gareth Southgate’s charges will play again against Italy at Sunday’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
After half an hour of play, the score was opened by the Danish Mikkel Damsgaard from a direct kick, even before the break, the captain Simon Kjaer equalized with his own goal. In the 104th minute, the match was decided in favor of the English favorite by captain Harry Kane with the delivery of his own unchanged penalty.
The Danes, who defeated the Czech national team 2: 1 in the quarterfinals, did not follow up on their only final participation in the Golden European Championship in 1992.
“An incredible match. Hats off to Denmark. It’s a great feeling to be home in the final. We know it will be very difficult against Italy because they are playing great so far. But we can’t wait for the final, the last match is ahead of us,” Kane said in a television interview. .
The English played the fifth of six games at the Wembley tournament, where the capacity increase raised almost 65,000 fans. The home team started more actively in a stormy atmosphere, but except for Sterling’s weak shot, they did not create a better chance in the beginning.
The Northerners gradually leveled the game. Damsgaard missed from a distance, but in the 30th minute he got through a show shot under the crossbar from a direct kick. England cashed in for the first time and after a total of seven matches and 691 minutes. Goalkeeper Pickford even scored after 725 minutes, breaking Gordon Banks’ old record by five minutes.
However, the Albion players recovered quickly and pushed the opponents. Sterling first hit Schmeichel’s goalkeeper up close, but in the 39th minute, after a similar action and Sak’s center, Kjaer scored his own goal in a slip in front of Sterling. The Danes kept their half-time draw with great effort. “We collected here for the first time, but we responded well and showed strength,” said midfielder Raheem Sterling.
The English were able to turn the score around at the beginning of the second half, but Schmeichel pulled Maguire’s header around the corner. Despite the predominance, the home team could not break through the strong defense of the outsider. In the “Three Lions” setting, they reached for the winning goal, but Phillips overshot, the Danish goalkeeper neutralized another Maguire header and Kane didn’t make it.
Tottenham’s striker also had his first chance of extra time, but his attempt was kicked off from an angle by a certain Schmeichel. The English continued to press until they earned a penalty kick.
The penalty was preceded by a controversial moment, as a second ball appeared on the court during the English action, around which Sterling stretched on the way to the big lime. It was up to referee Danny Makkelie to decide whether the second balloon affected the game or not.
The Dutch judge let the action flow and judged Joakim Mähle’s subsequent clash with Sterling as an illegal intervention. This decision will also be the subject of discussions. “It was not a penalty for me,” said former national midfielder and coach Ivan Hašek in the Czech Television studio.
Kane did not beat Schmeichel for the first time, but he did not hesitate for a happy finish. The captain of Albion scored for the fourth time at this year’s European Championships, calling the best English scorer Lineker with the tenth goal in big tournaments.
“I had the side I chose to shoot. It wasn’t the best kicked penalty in my career. But sometimes you miss and the ball bounces towards you. Fortunately it happened today,” Kane said.
In the second part of the overtime, Southgate’s charges controlled a close lead. The Danes, who looked very exhausted, only threatened Braithwaite with an inaccurate dotted wound. On the other hand, Schmeichel’s play was disheartening. The English will play the finals of the big event for the first time since 1966, when they won gold at the World Cup.
“We did a great job, we had to put everything into it,” Sterling said. “I’m so proud of my players. And the fans have been amazing all night,” added coach Southgate.
European Football Championship – Semifinals (London):
England – Denmark 2: 1 after extra time (1: 1, 1: 1)
Goals: 39. Owned by Kjaer, 104. Kane – 30. Damsgaard. Judges: Makkelie – Steegstra, De Vries – Van Boekel (video, all Niz.). ZK: Maguire – Wass. Attendance: 64,950 (limited number).
Assemblies:
Anglie: Pickford – Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw – Phillips, Rice (95. Henderson) – Saka (69. Grealish, 106. Trippier), Mount (95. Foden), Sterling – Kane. Trenér: Southgate.
Dánsko: Schmeichel – Christensen (79. Andersen), Kjaer, Vestergaard (105. Wind) – Stryger Larsen (67. Wass), Höjbjerg, Delaney (88. Jensen), Mähle – Braithwaite, Dolberg (67. Nörgaard), Damsgaard ( 67. Poulsen). Coach: Hjulmand.
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