During the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Semi-final match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium on July 07, 2021, Kane of England celebrates with teammate Phil Foden after scoring his team’s second goal. UEFA | Getty Images | Alex Morton With a hard-fought 2-1 win over brave Denmark, England captain Harry Kane powered his side into their first European Championship final by slamming in the rebound of his saved penalty in extra-time, as Gareth Southgate’s team eclipsed the manager’s icons of 25 years ago. Southgate has carried the sorrow of missing a penalty shootout at Wembley since Euro 96, but his Three Lions made history on Wednesday night, setting up a Wembley confrontation with Italy on Sunday. It wasn’t easy, with Mikkel Damsgaard breaking through England’s hitherto impenetrable defense with the tournament’s first direct free-kick goal on 30 minutes, after the hosts had made a strong start. While England could not finish the job in 90 minutes against a tired Danish side who had flown in from their quarter-final in Baku, the bulk of the 60,000 fans at Wembley screamed with delight when Kane finally beat the normally outstanding Kasper Schmeichel. It’s a courageous finale to an unbelievable narrative for Denmark at this tournament, and they deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve accomplished after Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in their first encounter. However, England’s fans may now look forward to one more encounter and the country’s first major tournament final since 1966. The young lions of England created history… At kick-off, those fans outshone the crowds that had gathered for the Scotland and Germany matches earlier in the tournament. The spirit of Euro 96 had clearly been reproduced when David Baddiel and Frank Skinner sang along to ‘Three Lions’ on the big screen. Early dribbles from Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount twisting on the edge of the Danish box, and Kane whipping a magnificent ball just beyond the Man City man’s reach sparked the explosive atmosphere. But, not long after, England promised to be their undoing. In this tournament, Southgate’s team had done a good job of limiting individual errors, but Kalvin Phillips was robbed by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who shot at Jordan Pickford, and the goalkeeper’s pass out went right to a red shirt, with Martin Braithwaite’s shot deflected behind. After the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Semi-final match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium on July 07, 2021 in London, England, England fans celebrate their team’s triumph with a “It’s coming home” flag. Getty Images | Eddie Keogh | The FA Collection With Damsgaard twisting a shot wide from the edge of the area, it was an unnerving few of minutes for England and gave Denmark confidence. As the first half progressed, Pickford’s streak of not conceding a goal for his country grew to 720 minutes, a new English record. The ball was in his net in a flash. Damsgaard’s 25-yard free-kick was superb, with the 21-year-old slipping a scorching attempt under the bar and in off Pickford’s hands, though the goalkeeper will feel he could have done better. England appeared to be shaken. Pickford fumbled the ball once more. After Sterling’s free-kick hit the wall, Denmark came close to scoring a second goal on the break. On the sidelines, Southgate urged his team to relax. The anxiety inside Wembley intensified when Schmeichel made a stunning save to keep Sterling from turning in Kane’s cross. A minute later, England equalized thanks to a similar approach. With Sterling poised to tuck in his fourth of the tournament, Kane dropped deep and found Bukayo Saka with a superb pass, but Kjaer beat him to it and diverted the ball into his own goal. England enjoyed the advantage in the final stages of the half, but it was Denmark who looked the most dangerous after the break – until Schmeichel made his second outstanding save of the night to keep away Harry Maguire’s full-stretch header. After another cutting Danish play, Kasper Dolberg fired a shot at Pickford, but it would be their first and only shot since the goal until extra-time, as England began to reassert their dominance in the contest, with Mount having a shot blocked and Schmeichel claiming another. Southgate introduced Jack Grealish on 68 minutes, and he was immediately involved, pushing Daniel Wass into a foul that earned him a caution before dribbling into the area in the build-up to Sterling’s attempt being blocked. When Kane went down in the box shortly after, England supporters were calling for a penalty, but referee Danny Makkelie instead gave a free-kick for simulation, which was backed up by VAR, before Andreas Christensen’s brilliant interception stopped Maguire sending Grealish through and Phillips drilled wide from the edge of the box. On July 7, 2021, England’s Harry Kane dribbles the ball as Denmark’s Kaspre Shemeichel protects his goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Semi-final match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium. Getty Images | Kaz Photography Getty Images/Sport England held off a weary Denmark side in a nail-biting conclusion, but were unable to break through, with John Stones, Phillips, and Maguire all unable to convert and Kane mis-cuing from Grealish’s cut-back in the last seconds of normal time. After the break, Schmeichel was alert again to thwart Kane, and the Leicester defender pushed away a powerful Grealish effort before Sterling wasted a good chance as England piled on the pressure. But then came the big break. Sterling has been England’s go-to man throughout the tournament, and his slaloming run into the box was cut short by a trip from Joakim Maehle. It was a soft one, but it held up after a lengthy VAR review, and Kane stepped up to take it. Schmeichel should have caught the feeble shot, but the ball trickled out and into Kane’s path, who converted the rebound and sent Wembley into a frenzy. The Danes gave it their all in the second half of extra time in pursuit of an equaliser, but they ran out of steam and were down to ten players for the closing moments when Mathias Jensen limped off. With their ecstatic supporters screaming ‘Ole’ with every pass late in the game, England held on for the historic victory. The celebrations began as soon as the last whistle blew, with fans singing “football is coming home” – yet the dream is not yet complete…/n
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