Harry Kane opened his Euro 2024 goal account for England but it was not enough as Denmark held them to a draw in Group C second round of matches.
England went into this game on the back of an opening win against Serbia. A victory was crucial to send the Three Lions into the next round, Denmark needed to avoid defeat to stand a chance of booking a place in the last 16 after settling for a draw in the opening fixture against Slovenia.
The Three Lions got off to a good start and were looking set to take the lead. Coming under pressure, Denmark settled for the low block while hoping to upset England’s bold high line with counterattacks.
It was still a right affair for the Three Lions. In the 9th minute, Kyle Walker was down on the ground after he appeared to twist his ankle due to a breaking turf. A few minutes later, he was back up into the game.
Meanwhile, England continued to dominate proceedings going forward. After a marathon of pressure, the Three Lions finally get past Denmark’s block. Kyle Walker had got the better of Anderson and laid it to Harry Kane inside the opponent’s box. The Bayern Munich forward volleyed it home easily from close range. It was a deserved lead for the Three Lions.
After conceding, Denmark began to contest for the ball fiercely with England appearing to have lost momentum after the lead. Denmark did better covering more attacking distance and unleashing threats.
Four minutes after the half-hour, Denmark midfielder Hjulman scored a sensation of a goal from 30 yards, firing a low shot through a sea of bodies. The strike bounced off the left-hand post into the back of the net.
It was a deserved equaliser for Denmark, who dominated proceedings after Harry Kane’s goal. Hjulman’s strike was enough to tie the game at 1-1 before the break.
England started the second half on a brilliant note, regaining momentum and launching threatening attacks. However, no good chance was created. The closest the Three Lions came to scoring was through Phil Foden whose left-footed strike hit the right-hand post and went off for a goal-kick.
As England struggled to build from the back, Gareth Southgate took off Alexander-Arnold first for Conor Gallagher before making a triple change in the 70th minute. Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, and Jarrod Bowen came on for Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden, respectively.
With less than 20 minutes left to play, it was still goalless and chances were drying up.
In the 83rd minute, England got a scare at the back. Declan’s Rice poor pass to Marc Guehi was intercepted by Denmark who came one-on-one with Pickford. But before he could make something out of the ball, Marc Guehi ran up and blocked it for a corner kick.
The game finally ended with both sides setting for 1-1 draw. The result means England are top of the group with four points but all the four teams have a chance to qualify for the knockout after Slovenia draw Serbia in the other group match.
