What an absolutely historic day. It’s still sinking in for me, really. This is a new feeling and I don’t really know how to process it, to be honest.
There were no formation changes for England, although Bukayo Saka was preferred to Jadon Sancho on the right side of the attack. At this point, manager Gareth Southgate has earned the right to do basically whatever he wants with the team, so the criticisms pre-match were much quieter than normal. Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand deployed his side in a 3-4-3, the lineup they have used for most of the tournament.
The match got underway in a warm-but-rapidly cooling Wembley and indeed it was England on the front foot for the first ten minutes or so. We were aggressive and went straight at them, which was exactly what needed to happen. Raheem Sterling almost turned in a deep cross from Harry Kane, but the ball was just too far ahead of him and England did not take advantage of their momentum. Denmark grew into the game and were soon the ones making all the runs themselves. England went from looking confident to looking moderately nervous, as I don’t think they expected the Danes to be so slick with their passing in attack.
Their possession in the England half paid off when a foul was given in favor of Denmark right around the half-hour mark. Midfield playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard hit a powerful but finessed shot over the wall of England defenders and just under the crossbar of Jordan Pickford’s goal. Pickford jumped up high to get it but his jump was a little late and the ball sailed over his right fist. It was a hell of a time for England to concede their first goal of the tournament, but it happened nevertheless. Pickford maybe could have done better to get a hand to it as the shot was closer to him than initially thought, but take nothing away from Damsgaard. It was a world-class strike and it could be argued that Denmark deserved their lead.
But England did not back down or crumble under pressure, and more on that later. They instead seemed somewhat galvanized by the opposition’s goal and soon created a gilt-edged chance for Sterling via a cross along the ground from Kane. Sterling was in good position on his defender but he hit his shot straight at the abdomen of Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel. If Sterling had hit it literally anywhere else, it would have gone in. Good positioning from Schmeichel but you felt England should have been level.
Undeterred and unbothered, England carried on attacking and got the equalizer just a minute or two later via an own goal from Danish captain Simon Kjær. Kane had dropped into the midfield to receive the ball, and he spotted Saka on a great run in behind the Danish defense on the right wing. The ball reached Saka who dribbled the ball to the end line and crossed over from the right towards Sterling, who was crashing towards the net. Kjær was between the ball and Sterling, but the pace of the cross and the fact that he himself was sprinting towards the goal to keep up meant that he accidentally turned the ball into his own net with his sliding challenge. To say that Kjær was primarily at fault though would be harsh on him, since no one in the Danish defense bothered to track the initial run from Saka that created the goal. In semifinals it does not matter how they go in or who scores, as long as the ball goes in.
England were the better team from that point onwards. I felt we could have had a second before halftime if there had been any amount of stoppage time because we really had Denmark on the ropes. The whistle was their savior though, and England had to be content with being level at 1-1. The second half continued in the same way as the end of the first half, mostly England domination. Harry Maguire was booked however for an aerial challenge on Kjær, even though it didn’t really seem like the conduct rose to the level of a yellow. Maguire was trying to get position and he collided with Kjær on accident. It’s maybe a foul but certainly not a yellow. That would not be the last controversial decision from of the evening though from Dutch referee Danny Makkelie, and more on that later as well.
The Danes were the next to form a decent chance from a counter-attack that saw Pickford required to make a save from striker Kasper Dolberg’s low but powerful effort. Dolberg was later ruled to be offside when the ball was played to him, but it was a reminder of just how sneakily-talented the Danish forwards are. Maguire then had probably the best chance of the second half, when he rose in the air again and this time cleanly headed the ball down and towards the far corner of the Danish goal. Keeper Kasper Schmeichel dove down and was fortunate to get a hand to the ball and push it around the post. It was going in had Schmeichel not intervened.
Dolberg got another tame shot away at Pickford shortly after that, but England were then the ones to create a succession of half-chances, the best of which was a scuffed shot by midfielder Mason Mount that ended up being an easy save for Schmeichel. Mount also had a cross/shot tipped over the bar by Schmeichel.
England probably should have had a penalty on 73 minutes when Kane was clumsily tripped by a Danish defender just inside the box, but Makkelie had none of it, and indeed awarded Denmark a free kick the other way. He must have thought that Kane took a dive, but replays showed he was clearly tripped. A short VAR review confirmed the decision, even though England’s players and fans (who saw the replay on the big screen) clearly saw contact on Kane. The Maguire yellow was a poor decision, but this one was outright terrible.
The second half ended without further incident though, and extra time would be needed with the prospect of penalties looming large. England were on the front foot again from the outset, and the Danes were beginning to look rather tired indeed. Jack Grealish had been previously brought on for Saka, and the Danes had made a plethora of changes as well. Curiously, they took off Damsgaard and Dolberg. Perhaps they were fatigued, but I thought those two had been the two best Danish players on the pitch. They were creating problems for the England defense with their passing and movement, yet Hjulmand felt they needed to come off. As an England fan I was happy to see it, but the “analyst” in me didn’t understand it. It must be said that the subs, in particular striker Yussuf Poulsen, did not perform well after coming on. Poulsen has had a good tournament but he was sub-par after coming on today.
Kane forced a fine save from Schmeichel from a tight angle in the first few minutes of extra time, and England poured on the pressure from there. Grealish forced another save from Schmeichel, yet this one was relatively comfortable as it was straight at him. Sterling blazed over shortly after that.
Another suspect refereeing decision was made a few minutes after that, but this time it broke England’s way after they awarded a penalty for a foul on Sterling near the end line. Sterling had broken into the box and despite his poor finishing today he certainly caused a lot of concerns in the Danish defense with his dribbling. He can be maddening to watch at times for his decision making and shooting, yet other times he looks like one of the best forwards in the world. As for the foul itself I must admit it was soft. There was contact on Sterling and he went down after it, but the contact appeared to be fairly minimal and Sterling definitely made the most of it. VAR checked it though, and once again refused to overturn the Makkelie’s decision. I have seen those given, and I have seen those not given.
Kane stepped up to the spot and was given the signal to take the penalty after a long VAR review. After a short-ish run up he hit the ball low and to his right, and admittedly it was rather tame as well. Two separate nations held their breath as Schmeichel got low to make the save. Unfortunately for Schmeichel, he couldn’t fully secure the shot and the rebound fell straight to into the path of Kane. He struck it into the now-empty net with Schmeichel beaten and sent England into ecstasy. Kane scored our first extra time goal at a tournament (104th min) since 2004, and England knew they were firmly in the driver’s seat for the final. Kane now also has 10 goals at major tournaments, which equals former striker Gary Lineker’s record for England.
The Danes unfortunately lost a man to injury after that and because they had used all their substitutions they were forced to play with 10 men for the final 15 minutes, and you can tell they were just about spent. England switched to a back three, which I didn’t particularly care for because all of a sudden Denmark was seeing a lot more of the ball and you knew England would have to hold on a bit. All of a sudden we became the counter-attacking team, using our pace and fresher legs to get out rapidly and run at them. Sterling had an effort saved by Schmeichel from close range at a tight angle late on, and a few Danish corners came to nothing. The final whistle eventually blew and Wembley erupted into joy.
Yes, England rode their luck today to a degree, but there were plenty of unlucky things to happen to England as well. I understand that Danish fans feel particularly aggrieved about the penalty, as it does leave a sour taste in one’s mouth as being the reason that your team goes out. England were the better team for the majority of the match though, and there was no guarantee that Denmark wouldn’t concede given their fatigue and playing with 10 men for the final half of extra time. Sure they may have gotten it to penalties, but England could have also used more subs (Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford) and really caused the Danes even more problems. I think most neutrals would concede that the better team won today, even if the manner in which it was done feels kind of cheap. England don’t care though, and nor should they. First major final in 55 years, and our first ever European Championship Final. For those who don’t know, the Euros first started in 1958!
What is there to say about this team, other than the fact that they are amazing? Southgate once again got all his decisions right today, and the players did all their jobs to an exceptional degree. Kane in particular deserves some plaudits, having set up the first goal and scored the second one. Sterling also deserves credit for winning the penalty and tormenting the Danish defense all night. Lots of credit to the back line and defensive midfielders as well. Yes they conceded one, but it was a fairly stunning free kick and the Danes never really looked super threatening after that one or two half-chances aside.
I think what needs to be commended the most though is the team’s collective mentality, and it’s Southgate, his training staff, and the captain Kane that deserve credit for that. England were tested today by a talented and underrated side, having gone behind for the first time in the tournament after 30 minutes in the high-pressure cooker of a semifinal. But England didn’t play passively after conceding. They stepped up significantly and took a lot more risks, and it only took nine minutes to find the equalizer. It’s true the Danes defended mightily and Schmeichel should be commended for his virtuoso performance today, but England were the dominant team from the equalizer onwards. This team believes in themselves. They have the experience at the club level of playing in big matches, and that experience is translating well into the national side. There is no club tribalism, there are no cliques of players. Everyone gets on with everyone and they are mature enough to realize they are playing for something bigger than themselves.
England’s players went and celebrated with the fans as best as they could with COVID restrictions, and Wembley rang out in chorus’s of “Sweet Caroline” and the infamous “Three Lions (Its Coming Home)”. I hope they enjoy the night and enjoy this moment of history-making. However, the opportunity to make even more history beckons. Only one team stands between England and eternity now – Italy. The final is Sunday at noon (PDT) at Wembley, and England know it will not be an easy task. Full match preview to follow.
Come on England!!
4-4-2 