England vs Denmark LIVE: Final score as Southgate gives blunt verdict after Three Lions booed at Euro 2024
Harry Kane gave England the lead before Southgate’s side dropped off with Denmark hitting back to secure a point in Frankfurt
England were far from convincing in a 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday, even if it likely ensured advancing to the round of 16 at the European Championship.
Harry Kane gave England another fast start at Euro 2024, scoring it the 18th minute, but the captain was substituted off in the second half as the team faded. England coach Gareth Southgate removed his forward line in a triple substitution with 25 minutes to play.
Denmark leveled in the 34th when Morten Hjulmand fired in a powerful low shot from long distance, after Kane gave away the ball in defense. The Danes made England look ragged in the second half, attacking the end from where English fans’ anxiety and jeers increased late in the game. England has four points from two games, after edging past Serbia 1-0 in its first match.
That points tally always has been enough to advance in the 24-team Euros format. Still, England can finish in any position from first to third in the Group C standings after playing unbeaten Slovenia next Tuesday.
Slovenia drew 1-1 with Serbia earlier Thursday, four days after getting the same result against Denmark. Serbia and Denmark also play Tuesday evening. Relive all the action and reaction from England v Denmark below:
Gareth Southgate must make hard choices after abject England struggle to draw with Denmark
If Gareth Southgate has already warned his players to ignore criticism, he’s going to need to lock them away in Erfurt after this. This was a 1-1 that meant a lot more than failing to win this match. It raises the biggest questions yet over whether England can even come close to winning this tournament.
Almost nothing about the team works right now. If that seems harsh given they have four points and are still on course to top the group, it is about how Gareth Southgate has currently made this team so much less than the sum of their parts.
The biggest problem is in midfield, which admittedly isn’t new and has been the long-term issue. The concern is how Southgate has so far compounded it. Why persist with the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment, when it obviously didn’t work? Why keep him on at half-time, only to change it minutes later?
Gareth Southgate must make hard choices after England struggle to draw with Denmark
Denmark 1-1 England: Harry Kane’s early goal was cancelled out by Morten Hjulmand’s wonderful strike as Gareth Southgate was left with more questions than answers
‘The Trent experiment’ and no pressing: Are pundits right to be so critical of England tactics?
No pressing from Harry Kane. No cohesion in midfield. No pace in attack, no runners beyond the defence, not enough pressure on the ball.
Listen to the BBC Sport half-time talk on England’s Euro 2024 match against Denmark and you might be forgiven for thinking the Three Lions trailed by a couple of goals or were in danger of heading out of the tournament, not level at 1-1 and top of the as-it-stands group table.
It all echoed of we’re not creative enough, we’re not possibly good enough.
If you know, you know.
‘The midfield experiment’: Are pundits right to be so critical of England midfield?
Alan Shearer and the BBC pundits were scathing of Gareth Southgate’s set-up
Gary Neville highlights the problem with Declan Rice for England after ‘nervous’ display
Gary Neville insists Declan Rice needs to play further up the field after looking “nervous” in England’s draw against Denmark at Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate’s side remain unbeaten and top of Group C on four points and on the brink of progress to the last 16.
But Neville is adamant Rice is not at the same level as some of the best holding midfielders in Europe when picking the ball up from the back line and claims Southgate could learn from how Mikel Arteta handled him for Arsenal towards the end of the season.
Neville highlights the problem with Rice after ‘nervous’ England display
The Arsenal midfielder struggled in the stalemate with Denmark with Gareth Southgate’s side unable to strike the right balance in Frankfurt
England caught between midfield ideals amid search for attacking balance
There was a problem with the team of all the talents. It wasn’t a team. In as much as there is any agreement on anything concerning the England team, Gareth Southgate may have thought he had given the people what they wanted. He had crammed in his four most gifted attackers and a generational talent of a passer, primed to supply them.
And in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s parting contribution, he almost got a glimpse of what might have been.
Southgate thinks Alexander-Arnold is a quarterback of a midfielder. And if an up-and-under seemed borrowed from rugby rather than American football, it resulted in Bukayo Saka heading into the side netting. But by then, the decision had been made. A minute later, Alexander-Arnold was withdrawn, Conor Gallagher introduced in the 1-1 draw with Denmark.
England caught between midfield ideals amid search for attacking balance
Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold represent two very different approaches to control games
Harry Kane subbed off in England’s tie with Denmark as Alan Shearer praises Gareth Southgate’s bold move
Alan Shearer praised Gareth Southgate’s bold second-half substitutions as the manager brought off his goalscoring captain Harry Kane in a bid to turn the tide.
England endured a frustrating evening in Frankfurt after Kane’s early goal was cancelled out by Morten Hjulmand’s stunning long-range strike to leave the Group C match level at half-time.
And as England continued to toil in the second half, struggling to make clear chances and keep hold of the ball for sustained periods, Southgate turned to his bench for inspiration.
Alan Shearer hails bold move to sub Harry Kane: ‘It had to be done’
Kane was replaced midway through the second half in a surprise move by England manager Southgate
Group C standings:
England - 4 points
Denmark - 2 points
Slovenia - 2 points
Serbia - 1 point
With one game left to play England are in the best position and just need to avoid a defeat to Slovenia to make it into the knockout rounds. A win will see them finish at the top of the group too.
England vs Denmark player ratings as Walker shines but Alexander-Arnold struggles again
England struggled in their second match at Euro 2024, escaping with a point after a 1-1 draw against an impressive Denmark on Thursday night.
Harry Kane opened his Euro 2024 account in the 18th minute before Denmark equalised through Morten Hjulmand’s long-range strike as the Danes came back strong at the end of the first-half.
Denmark had the better of the chances in the second-half as England wilted late on, but ultimately it was a point apiece in Frankfurt.
England face Slovenia in their final Group C clash on Tuesday night, while Denmark take on Serbia.
But how did each player perform? Here are The Independent’s player ratings:
England vs Denmark player ratings after Euro 2024 clash in Frankfurt
England 1-1 Denmark: Gareth Southgate’s side take only a point against impressive Danish side as Harry Kane opens Euro 2024 account but is then substituted on difficult afternoon for Three Lions
England are breaking records
England are unbeaten in 13 group stage matches at the European Championship (W8-D5-L0), since a 2-1 defeat against France in Lisbon at Euro 2004.
This is a tournament record.
England defender Kyle Walker, speaking to BBC One:
“I think it’s tournament football. This is a good Denmark team. We’re top of the group so let’s try to take a positive from this game. We’ve not lost, we’ve conceded a great streak from outside the box. We’re top of the group so let’s move on to the next game.
“I think it’s just the game. You’re sensing the game, their feeling. As defenders you try and think of ‘what if’, rather than me charging forward they go and score. Let’s take it as a well-deserved point.
“The manager wants us to play free, attacking football. Sometimes in tournament football you have to manage the game. It’s tough when you come to these grounds, hostile environments. We’re top of the group so let’s move on.
“They’ll know as individuals, as a team collectively, we’ve got another gear but we haven’t lost a game. Everyone wants us to steamroll teams three or four nil but that’s not football these days. We’ve got a point and let’s move on with that.”
Watkins on Denmark’s performance
“You’re going to get these games. We’re England and people want to beat us at the end of the day.
“It’s not going to be easy, we can’t just steamroller teams by four or five just because we’ve got world-class players. [We’ve got] another point, [and we’re] unbeaten in two.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to hold your hands up. I was sat behind it on the bench, it was an unbelievable strike, in off the post. Fair play. We played well at times and so did they. The main thing is that we’re unbeaten.”
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