Wembley Stadium was the place where England played against Denmark at the Euro 2020 semifinal this evening. We got the player ratings.
In the second Euro 2020 semifinal, we had a nearly packed Wembley Stadium for the England vs Denmark match. Just hours prior to this match, Kasper Schmeichel mocked the English by asking if football ever really came home as they keep saying. He nearly justified his statement by helping his country reach extra times against the Three Lions. During the first half, the Danish side saw Damsgaard scoring one of the most beautiful goals of the entire tournament. A brutal free-kick where Jordan Pickford had very little to do.
We didn’t even get ten minutes after that when England responded. Harry Kane was playing outside of the box as a playmaker. He gave Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling enough space to maneuver accordingly in order to create constant danger. One of his passes from the deep left Saka with a clear advantage to release a clinical cross from the end line. Unfortunately, Simon Kjaer scored an own goal that gave the English a well-deserved equalizer. As both sides went to the break, we had a leveled football match in our hands.
Kane becomes the hero in extra time.
After the break, Gareth Southgate decided to keep his cards close to the vest throughout the entirety of the second half. He was overly cautious as he only allowed Jack Grealish to get on the pitch for Bukayo Saka. Perhaps his tactics work in the end, but the manager keeps showing his defensive tendencies with his decisions throughout this match. Raheem Sterling got fouled inside the box during the first extra time and we had a Kane vs Schmeichel duel in our hands. The Danish keeper saved a poorly taken shot from Harry but he spits the ball towards the striker.
On the second chance he got, Kane managed to score England’s second goal. Perhaps out of fear, Southgate took Jack Grealish off the pitch in order to get Trippier inside to park the bus. The Aston Villa captain didn’t get the decision but he had to accept it. In the end, Southgate ordered his players to keep the ball and protect the result. It’s clear that at this point, getting the result is far more important than entertaining the fans. After 55 years with no titles, the Three Lions are closer to bringing football back home.
Player ratings
England: Pickford (7), Walker (7), Maguire (7), Stones (7), Shaw (7), Phillips (7), Rice (7), Mount (6), Saka (7), Sterling (7), Kane (7).
Bench: Grealish (7), Henderson (6), Foden (6), Trippier (6).
Denmark: Schmeichel (8), Kjaer (5), Larsen (6), Vestergaard (6), Christensen (7), Maehle (7), Delaney (6), Hojbjerg (6), Damsgaard (7), Braithwaite (6), Dolberg (6).
Bench: Andersen (6), Norgaard (6), Wass (6), Poulsen (6), Jensen (5), Wind (5).
Feel free to make your pick on player’s ratings and performances in the widget below.
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