If it helps to have tested your courage on your way to the Promised Land, England’s semi-final was perfect.
They did it the hard way against Denmark, but victory was well deserved – 21 attempts at goal, against six for their opponents, tells a story.
Much like an early incident: Chelsea’s Andreas Christiansen attempted a pass into the crowd. Denmark seemed more affected by the opportunity than Gareth Southgate’s side.
Mikkel Damsgaard’s superb free kick gave the Danes an early lead …
but Harry Kane produced the merchandise again – despite a stroke of luck
England were only really shaken up for nine minutes after Mikkel Damsgaard’s fabulous free kick threatened the victory of the 10th ranked team in the world against their fourth ranked opponents.
Then captain Harry Kane did what he’s been doing all season for Tottenham – proving his worth as a creator and a goalscorer.
His perfectly weighted pass allowed 19-year-old Bukayo Saka to offer the cross that Danish captain Simon Kjaer turned into his own net.
The decisive penalty in extra time made fortune smile.
The price looked generous for a perceived foul on Raheem Sterling, and Kane’s kick was saved before he happily grabbed the rebound.
The remarkable young England side will once again have the home advantage in the final
But Southgate got the better of his tactics, even to the point of saving several overtime substitutions when the Danish legs were clearly tiring.
Denmark’s bandwagon – with worldwide support following his recovery from Christian Eriksen’s heart failure – has finally been halted.
Now the momentum is with England, and they’ll need it in the final against an undefeated Italy side in 33 matches.
But the nation has learned to trust Southgate, as do its players.
Many have been with him for a long time.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-07 23:17:00
