England failed to take a commanding lead at the top of Group C on Thursday afternoon after Gareth Southgate’s side succumbed to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Denmark in Frankfurt.
Although the Three Lions will remain at the top of the standings, a victory would have earned them a place in the knockout stages of the tournament. It seems Southgate’s team still has work to do.
Harry Kane gave England the lead within the first 20 minutes of the match, in what was a dream start for the Three Lions. Kyle Walker’s deflected cross bounced off several Danish defenders before falling into the hands of the England captain, who took great delight in scoring his first goal of Euro 2024.
A lack of concentration in defense would see England fail to stop Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who fired a long-range shot past Jordan Pickford to score a goal for Kasper Hjulmand’s side before the break.
In the second half, England struggled for creativity and could not find a winner, with Denmark, eager to press, giving Southgate’s team some late scares. Mail Sport’s CRAIG HOPE offers his player ratings from Deutsche Bank Park.
England drew 1-1 against Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday afternoon.
Harry Kane (left) scored in the first 20 minutes of the game to give the Three Lions the lead.
Morten Hjulmand (center) scored a goal for Denmark with a long shot before the break.
ENGLAND (4-2-3-1)
Jordan Pickford 6
I had to make a lot of saves given how often Denmark received the ball, but most of them were routine.
You might be wondering if he could have ducked to avoid the Denmark goal from 25 metres. However, he is not to blame for this dismal performance.
Kyle Walker 6
You have to give him credit for his awareness in robbing a sleeping opponent before setting up Kane’s goal with a deflected cross, but he didn’t make nearly as much progress as he should and could have. He got off to a shaky start and needed a change of boots, and was fine defensively.
Juan stones 6
We didn’t see any of the playing ability he shows for Manchester City, but perhaps that was because if he had come into midfield he would have found his own midfielders on alert. He was sometimes immobilized by his own team and had to worry more about what was coming at him from those in red.
Jordan Pickford (pictured) had to make a lot of saves considering how much of the ball Denmark had.
Kyle Walker (pictured) was instrumental in helping England get their first goal but didn’t make as much progress as he should and could have.
We also didn’t see any of the ball-playing skills that John Stones (left) displays for Man City during the match.
Marc Guehi (right) recovered well and made an excellent tackle to stop a cross from Alexander Bah (left).
Marc Guehi 6
He had done well, but then almost ruined a steady display with a slip that allowed Bah to escape. He recovered to make the tackle, but only because the Danish striker was slow. Then he lost his man in the resulting corner. Other than those moments, he can be quite satisfied.
Kieran Trippier 6.5
England needed it with a couple of great interventions in the moments after Kane’s goal. He played most of the game with no one in front of him, given how much Foden vacated his position on the left. A solid performance on and off the ball and almost England’s best, even if it was the best of a poor group.
Declan Rice 4.5
He won’t be happy with the way he lost the ball on several occasions. At one point he blamed Bellingham for not offering an option, but Rice needs to take a closer look. By his standards, this was a very poor performance and it seemed like he knew it.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s midfielder experiment (centre) doesn’t seem to be quite working
Declan Rice (pictured) performed poorly by his standards and will not be happy with how often he lost the ball.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 4
This must be the end of the midfield experiment. You can’t blame the player, he is not a midfielder! He was hooked in the 54th minute after a performance in which he gave the ball away too often and went AWOL when Denmark took control. His head had clearly disappeared after the break.
Bukayo Saka 5
Not even close to the level of danger he represented against Serbia. He didn’t play badly, but he didn’t do much good either. With many alternatives in wide areas, you have to do more than that. Like others, his energy in the press to annoy the Danes was not there.
Judas Bellingham 5
From Roy of the Rovers to Doncaster Rovers, the Serbian player of the match was a shadow of Sunday’s star. He didn’t win his duels and rarely had the ball. When he had it, he kept it for too long and didn’t fill the box like he did in the opening game. He did well not to be replaced.
Jude Bellingham (pictured) failed to live up to his Man of the Match performance against Serbia
Bukayo Saka (centre) lacked energy in the press and did not show the same level of offensive threat that he had shown against Serbia.
Phil Foden (centre) had good moments but again looked uncomfortable on the left wing
Phil Foden 6
Out of position on the left wing, again, every time he made an impact it was moving inwards, at times even to the right of the center of the field. He had good moments, two good streaks followed by bad shots and another when he broke the stick, but he cannot continue in a position in which he does not want to play. He is detrimental to the team.
Harry Kane 4.5
Right place to jump for the first goal, but then he gave possession to the Danes to tie with a disconcerting cross ball; he didn’t look where he was going. He dropped very deep but was unable to put pressure on his opponents. He looked out of place, like against Serbia, and rightly retired when the impact was reduced to zero.
Despite his goal, Kane (pictured) was unimpressed and was substituted after the break.
Conor Gallagher (right forward) replaced Alexander-Arnold but could not change the game for England.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins (pictured) would make his first appearance at Euro 2024, replacing Kane.
Gareth Southgate (left) had no answers, his substitutes did not work and he did not know how to learn from the mistakes his team made during the match against Serbia.
Substitutes
Conor Gallagher (substitute for Alexander-Arnold, 54) 5.5
Eberechi Eze (instead of Foden 69) 5
Jarrod Bowen (substitute for Saka 69) 5
Ollie Watkins (substitute for Kane 69) 5
Manager – Gareth Southgate 4
Wasn’t this performance everything Southgate has been criticized for? A team full of offensive talent that took the lead and then retreated so far that it created pressure and an inevitable tie.
He had no answers – all four of his substitutions didn’t work – and the coach had best wear a protective helmet during the aftermath of this depressing display.
