Draw in “Zombieland”
Enigmatic Englishmen receive harsh whistles
20.06.2024, 19:56
The English national football team collects another point at the European Championships. After the unspectacular opening match against the Serbs, the match against the Danes is even more unspectacular. Once again, Gareth Southgate’s team switches to rest mode far too early.
“King” Kane at least makes Prince William a little happy: The FC Bayern star has opened the door wide for co-favorite England to the round of 16 of the European Football Championship. The Three Lions only managed a 1-1 (1-1) draw against Denmark in the repeat of the 2021 semi-final, but defended their lead in Group C with four points. Once again, it was not enough for a dream start of two wins – England has never managed this at a European Championship before.
Harry Kane (18th), who was criticized for having only 24 ball touches in the opening match, scored the opening goal, but Morten Hjulmand (34th) scored the deserved equalizer before half-time. However, progressing should be a mere formality for England on Tuesday (9 p.m.) against Slovenia. The Danes, who started with two points, definitely need more points against bottom-placed Serbia to make it into the knockout round.
Everything peaceful despite risky game
The stands of the Frankfurt European Championship Arena were a royal affair, with both Britain’s Prince William (who is also the President of the Football Association FA) and Denmark’s King Frederik X supporting their teams on site. The police had classified the match as a high-risk match, but everything remained peaceful at first. The Main metropolis, whose train station district, dubbed “Zombieland”, had been warned about by the British tabloid “The Sun” months ago, was firmly in English hands from the morning onwards. More than 50,000 Britons partied at the Römer from the early hours of the morning, and 25,000 Danes marched through the city in a fan march from the Opera Square.
In front of 47,000 spectators, the match started very evenly under a closed roof, with the English team playing very statically. However, a moment of deep sleep from Victor Kristiansen was enough to put him in the lead, after he carelessly let Kyle Walker steal the ball. Kane pushed the deflected cross in from five meters with his left foot, and while celebrating, he blew kisses into the crowd towards his wife Katie and his four children.
As a result, the Three Lions retreated as they often do, playing Gareth Southgate’s often-criticized safety-focused football. Denmark moved the ball well – but only as far as the penalty area. The closer they got to the goal, the more ideas they lacked. As a result, they mostly shot from distance. Wolfsburg’s Jonas Wind’s deflected shot landed in the net (32′), and Hjulmand’s low shot from 28 meters hit the inside of the post.
England falters at the final whistle
After the break, the English invested a little more in their own offensive game. After a long ball, Bukayo Saka headed the ball over the onrushing Kasper Schmeichel and into the side netting (53′), then Phil Foden hit the post from distance (56′). The Danes, for their part, were now able to launch dangerous attacks much less frequently, with Mikkel Damsgaard testing Jordan Pickford from distance (68′).
Southgate then took Kane off the field in a triple substitution, and Ollie Watkins, who came on for him, was stopped by Schmeichel (71′). On the other side, Andreas Christensen (84′) and Pierre-Emile Höjberg (85′) both narrowly missed the chance to give Denmark the lead. The whistles in the stands became louder and louder, and the English fans were anything but happy.