EM qualification is running
Record man Kane continues to score, Danes throw away victory late
03/26/2023 8:56 p.m
For a long time it looked as if Denmark would easily win their second win in the European Championship qualifier. But then everything goes down the drain within minutes. Record man Harry Kane, on the other hand, puts a lackluster but sovereign victory on track for his English team.
England got off to a flawless start in qualifying for the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany. Three days after the 2-1 win over defending champions Italy, the European Championship runners-up beat Ukraine 2-0 (2-0) at London’s Wembley Stadium. Harry Kane (37th minute) with his 55th international goal and Bukayo Saka (40th) ensured success in Group C with their goals in the first half. Kane recently became the sole record goalscorer in England with his goal against Italy done, now he extended his record.
Before the game started there was an appeal for peace in Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia more than a year ago. The scoreboard read “Peace” in English and Ukrainian, and both teams gathered for a photo on the field behind a Ukrainian flag that read “Peace”. For Ukraine, the start of the European Championship qualification was the first international match since the end of September last year and at the same time the 300th in the history of the Ukrainian Football Association since 1992.
Denmark loses in the last minutes
Former European champions Denmark meanwhile suffered an unexpected defeat. The team of former Bundesliga coach Kasper Hjulmand lost a 2-0 lead against Kazakhstan within 16 minutes and lost 2-3 (2-0) in Nur-Sultan. Rasmus Höjlund (21st and 36th minute) from the Italian first division club Atalanta Bergamo had given the favorites the lead with a brace.
Bakhtijar Sajnutdinov (73′) with a penalty kick, Aschat Taguibergen (86′) and Abat Aimbetow (89′) turned the game in a turbulent final phase in favor of the hosts, where the winning goalscorer had to leave the field with yellow-red in injury time. The Danes, who have 60 percent of the ball, are only fourth in Group H after beating Finland 3-1 and losing in Kazakhstan.