England must wait to guarantee a place in the Euro 2024 knockout stage after a 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday, a game that Harry Kane ignited with an early goal but concluded with the Three Lions clinging to a single point thanks to a remarkable equalizer from Denmark’s Morten Hjulmand. Gareth Southgate’s men delivered a poor performance for the second time in a row, squandering the opportunity to become the first England team to win both of its opening Euro tournament games.
The draw puts the 2020 runners-up, who were previously tipped as tournament favorites, at the top of Group C with four points, while Denmark is second on two following Slovenia’s 1-1 draw with Serbia earlier.
The game got off to a rough start with errant passes from both teams, swiftly quieting the sea of red and white spectators, which included the Prince of Wales and Denmark’s King Frederik. But Kane, who now has 13 goals in big tournaments, more than any other England player, put his side ahead in the 18th minute when Kyle Walker raced in behind an unprepared Victor Kristiansen and blasted in a cross that eventually dropped to Kane.
The captain surged, firing a left-footed shot from close range into the bottom left corner. With four major tournament goals, he now ranks alongside Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney as the most prolific England scorers with four apiece.
After that, Denmark was the better team, and an equalizer seemed imminent. In the 34th minute, the Danes took advantage of England’s careless play as Kane’s pass up the pitch from a throw-in found Kristiansen, who then passed to Hjulmand. The 24-year-old defensive midfielder fired a rocket from approximately 30 yards out, ricocheting off the left post and into the net. Jordan Pickford, England’s goalkeeper, barely saw it coming and flashed an angry finger at his teammates.
Denmark was the sharper team after that, as midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg admitted later. Denmark’s midfielder, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, believes his team should have won, nevertheless. With roughly 20 minutes remaining, Southgate replaced Kane, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka with Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, and Eberechi Eze. Both teams missed chances, with Foden’s narrowest miss coming in the second half, when he rang a shot off the post in a significantly more active display than the Serbia game.
