EURO2024
Kane scores and misses: England only 1:1 against Denmark
Denmark’s Rasmus Höjlund (l) and England’s Marc Guehi engage in a header duel. Photo
© Swen Pförtner/dpa
A win over Denmark would have seen England win the group. But the team around goalscorer Kane put in a weak performance. Germany remains a possible opponent.
A goal by Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane (18th minute) was not enough for the uninspired Three Lions in front of 47,000 spectators. For the Danes, Morten Hjulmand (34th) managed a spectacular equaliser following a bad pass from Kane.
“We are top of our group. We conceded a goal from distance. We are top so we are focused on the last group game. Let’s count this as a point, a well-deserved point,” said England’s Kyle Walker. Former England star Alan Shearer, however, was more explicit as a BBC pundit: “England were worse.”
While England can at least plan on progressing with four points, everything is at stake for Denmark, Slovenia (two points each) and Serbia (one point) on Tuesday (9 p.m.). The second-placed team in the group would face Germany in the round of 16 if the DFB team wins the group against Switzerland. The English can win the group on their own if they beat outsiders Slovenia.
Bathing at Römerberg
The Main metropolis, about whose train station district the British tabloid newspaper “The Sun” had warned months ago, was firmly in English hands from that morning. Around 50,000 supporters of the Three Lions made their way to Frankfurt, where towers and fences were decorated with plenty of English flags. Many hours before kick-off, on a sultry summer day, individual fans went for a swim in the Justitia fountain on the Römerberg.
The organizers took precautions early on against the sun and possible waterfalls in the stadium, which was home to royal celebrities such as Prince William and Denmark’s King Frederik X. In view of the weather forecast, the folding roof was closed for the match – an absolute exception in the stadium. As was the entry in the Golden Book of the City of Frankfurt, which the two royal guests made in the stadium.
Kane scores for the first time in a European Championship preliminary round
Southgate was not particularly impressed by the heated debate about his team’s defensive approach on home soil. Instead, his team began in the same cautious manner that they had finished their shaky 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday.
The European Championship co-favorites still took the lead: After Victor Kristiansen was inattentive, Kyle Walker broke through to the baseline on the right. His deflected pass landed at Bayern star Kane, who only had to shoot from close range. It was Kane’s first goal in the preliminary round of a European Championship in his eighth appearance.
However, England did not gain confidence as a result, but retreated even further. The 2021 European Championship runners-up always tried to position themselves with six players behind the ball and were put under increasing pressure by the Danes. The game seemed static, despondent and not worthy of a European Championship title contender during this phase.
Triple substitution in England’s offensive
A shot by Wolfsburg’s Jonas Wind (32′) was deflected by Marc Guehi. But the equalizer came with the next move. After a failed pass from Kane into the middle, Hjulmand plucked up the courage and scored a dream goal from 30 meters. His goal also made King Frederik cheer. England’s fans eagerly sang “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, but for the professionals around goal scorer Kane, the half-time whistle seemed like a small relief.
After that, Southgate’s eleven improved. A deflected shot from Declan Rice (51′) and a header from Bukayo Saka (53′) caused a little danger. But things only got really tricky for the Danes when Phil Foden hit the post with a powerful left-foot shot (56′). Southgate then replaced his key attackers Kane, Saka and Foden at once – but even with fresh forces it was no longer enough to win. Instead, the Danes pushed for the winning goal and were unlucky with a shot from Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg (85′).