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 equaliser from 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 favourites, 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, put England 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.
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 fired a rocket from approximately 30 yards out, ricocheting off the left post and into the net.
Jordan Pickford, England’s custodian, flashed an angry finger at his teammates.
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.
Jude Bellingham, who scored England’s only goal in a stunning first-half display against Serbia, had little impact on Thursday against Denmark’s tough midfield of Hojbjerg and Hjulmand.
England face Slovenia in their last group game on Tuesday, while Denmark face Serbia on the same day, with all four teams still technically eligible to advance in the competition.
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