England failed to secure an early spot in the Euro 2024 knockout stages after playing out a 1-1 draw with Denmark this past Thursday. Harry Kane opened the scoring early on, but England was forced to settle for a point after Morten Hjulmand scored a spectacular equalizer for the Danes. For the second game in a row, Southgate's side struggled to find their rhythm, failing to become the first England squad to start a Euro tournament with two consecutive victories.
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 result leaves the 2020 runners-up—previously considered the frontrunners for the trophy—leading Group C with four points. Denmark follows in second place with two points, aided by the fact that Slovenia and Serbia played to a 1-1 draw earlier in the session.
The opening minutes were frantic and messy, with both teams struggling for possession and making simple passing errors, which unsettled the spectators, including the Prince of Wales and King Frederik of Denmark. The deadlock was finally broken in the 18th minute; Kyle Walker burst past an off-guard Victor Kristiansen and sent in a cross that landed perfectly for Harry Kane, who has now netted 13 goals in major tournaments, the most of any English player.
Kane charged forward and slotted a precise left-footed shot into the bottom left corner. With this goal, he joins the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen as England's most lethal scorers in major tournaments, with four goals each.
Following the goal, Denmark took control of the match, and it felt only a matter of time before they leveled the score. That moment arrived in the 34th minute when England's lax defending allowed a throw-in pass from Kane to be intercepted by Kristiansen, who quickly found Hjulmand. The 24-year-old midfielder unleashed a powerful strike from about 30 yards that clipped the left post and flew into the net, leaving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stranded and visibly frustrated with his defense.
Denmark remained the more clinical side for the rest of the game, a sentiment later echoed by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who felt his team deserved the victory. In the final 20 minutes, Southgate attempted to spark a comeback by replacing Kane, Foden, and Saka with Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, and Eberechi Eze. Both sides had opportunities to win it, most notably when Phil Foden hit the woodwork in the second half during a performance that was far more spirited than his outing against Serbia.