Looking to seal their place in the Round of 16 of the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024), England locked horns with Group C rivals Denmark at the Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday evening (June 20).
Having escaped with a slender 1-0 win over Serbia on Matchday 1, the Three Lions needed a strong showing to get the critics off their back. However, they had no such luck, as Denmark produced an excellent performance to restrict them to a 1-1 draw. In fact, England were lucky to get away with a draw, as the Danes were the ones who had more shots over the course of the game (16 to 12).
Conservative Approach Hurt England Against Denmark
Considering how star-studded the English squad is, the Three Lions should not have had too much trouble dominating proceedings against Denmark. Yet, Gareth Southgate could not find a way to make his team play up to their potential. Phil Foden had a little more joy than the game against Serbia, but that came at the expense of Jude Bellingham’s fluidity down the middle. Bukayo Saka also had a poor game by his lofty standards, while the defense afforded too much space to the Danish attackers.
The picture looks quite gloomy at the end of the match, but in the opening minutes, England looked on course for a comfortable win. After making inroads into the opposition third a few times, England got their noses in front through Harry Kane in the 18th minute. The Bayern Munich man was lurking inside the area when Kyle Walker‘s deflected cross found its way to him. The 30-year-old applied a clinical, close-range finish to give England the lead.
Unlike most teams, Denmark did not fall apart after England pulled ahead. They kept up the pressure and eventually equalized through Morten Hjulmand in the 34th minute. The Danish midfielder took aim from outside the penalty area and scored with the help of the inside of the left-hand post. Had England not dropped back, Hjulmand would not had the space to attempt such a shot.
Both teams had…
Source link : https://sportslens.com/news/denmark-1-1-england-euro-2024/
Author : Sushan Chakraborty
Publish date : 2024-06-20 19:39:50
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