Euro 2024 day seven: England fail to impress as Spain seal last-16 spot

Gareth Southgate’s men were booed off the pitch in Frankfurt.

England are down but not out after a poor display in a 1-1 Group C draw with Denmark (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

England’s hopes of ending their 58-year wait for a trophy by going all the way at Euro 2024 were put into perspective as they escaped with a 1-1 Group C draw against Denmark.

Gareth Southgate’s side turned in a woeful display and were perhaps fortunate to emerge with a point, although Serbia’s last-gasp equaliser against Slovenia means they remain in charge of the group.

There were no such difficulties for Spain, who booked their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 win over Italy.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at day seven.

England expects (much, much more)

England’s status as one of the pre-tournament favourites took another hit as they turned in a lacklustre display to draw 1-1 with Denmark in Frankfurt.

Gareth Southgate’s men were booed off the pitch after Harry Kane’s goal had been cancelled out by Morten Hjulmand’s piledriver, although it was the manner of the performance rather than the result which gave such cause for concern.

They remain top of Group C, two points ahead of the Danes, and will secure top spot with victory over Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday.

However, Southgate’s misfiring team, in which right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deployment as a makeshift midfielder continues to be a bone of contention, will need to be significantly better if they are to extend their stay in Germany significantly.

Helping hand

Spain needed the assistance of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori to continue their perfect start to the tournament.

On a night when Gianluigi Donnarumma provided stubborn resistance, he was finally beaten by his own team-mate, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when his goalkeeper attempted to cut out Nico Williams’ cross and could only palm the ball straight at him.

Nevertheless, the win was no more than the Spaniards deserved and they join hosts Germany in the next round with a game to spare.

Luka who’s talking

Luka Jovic’s stoppage-time header kept Serbia’s hopes alive and denied Slovenia their first European Championship finals win as their Group C clash in Munich ended 1-1.

Serbia, who lost their opening match 1-0 to England, appeared to be crashing out of the tournament as they trailed to Zan Karnicnik’s second-half effort, but AC Milan striker Jovic headed home a corner in the fifth minute of added time.

It proved a better point for Slovenia than it did for the Serbians and they face England knowing victory will see them through.

The man in the mask

France superstar Kylian Mbappe is facing a race against time to be fit for Friday’s Group D clash with the Netherlands.

The 25-year-old, who broke his nose during the 1-0 win over Austria on Monday evening, trained wearing a protective mask on Thursday but remains a doubt.

Head coach Didier Deschamps said: “This is moving in the right direction to ensure that he is available tomorrow.”

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Post of the day

Who’s up next?

Slovakia v Ukraine – 2pm BBC One

Poland v Austria – 5pm ITV1

Netherlands v France – 8pm – BBC One