Gareth Southgate and England end 55 years of hurt by reaching Euro 2020 final

Three Lions manager completes tale of redemption with semi-final victory over Denmark

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  Jordan Pickford 6 - Broke the England record for longest period without conceding a goal, then conceded a superb dipping free-kick. Fell to his knees. Could he have done more? Got down to make a save from Dolberg after 51 minutes.

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  Kyle Walker 7 - England’s best player in the first half. Picked up his 60th cap and so fast in chasing loose balls and stronger than full-back Maele. Crazy celebration when England equalised.

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  John Stones 7 - Competent against Denmark’s shifting attack. Pushed up as England dominated and his own influence grew.

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  Harry Maguire 9 - Header after 55 minutes was well saved by Schmeichel. Played well. Fuming at being pulled back by Poulsen after winning another tackle on 85 minutes. Booked.

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  Luke Shaw 7 - Superb against Ukraine in Rome, gave the free-kick away which led to the opening goal – and the first goal England conceded in seven games. Timed a run and crossed as England pushed for a second on 58 minutes and became more emboldened.

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  Kalvin Phillips 6 - Didn’t win a single duel – and nor did his sidekick Rice – in the first half. Better in second. Shot wide after 79 and then a left footed shot well over on 90 as he got far more involved.

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  Declan Rice 6 - Covered for Maguire as the Danes threatened before half time but Denmark’s midfield two bested them in first half. England’s were superior in the second. Adequate.

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  Bukayo Saka 6 - Only change from the last game and involved in the equaliser, finding Sterling. A danger on the right against Vestergard but hit and miss. Worked hard with Walker. His last move was to overhit a cross before he was the first player off.

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  Raheem Sterling 8 - Started brightly and had a shot parried away by Schmeichel after 38 when he should have scored. Then he put Kjaer under pressure as the Danish captain put the ball into his own net and England drew level. Had three of England’s four shots in the first half (and six overall) Quieter in second, but a vital player still running at speed after 115 minutes.

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  Mason Mount 7 - Weak curling shot on 63 didn’t trouble Schmeichel. Cross after 72 looked to be going in put Schmeichel tipped over. England passed ball around the 18 yard box all night, with limited killer instinct in front of goal. Much better in second.

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  Harry Kane 8 - Early bending ball across goal towards Sterling as England flew out of the blocks. Shot over after 14 as England kept coming at the Danes. Otherwise frequently dropped deep and allowed runners to attack channels. Did that for the equaliser. Held ball up well; won free-kicks England needed more quality in final third, but Kane gave it in the end. Took controversial penalty poorly. Saved. Swept equaliser in. Ecstasy. Incredible drama.

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  SUB: Jack Grealish 6 (On for Saka after 69) - To an ovation from hope he could change the game as he did against Germany. Had an impact, but not as great. Shot seven minutes into time added on. Subbed in second period of extra time for Trippier.

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  SUB: Phil Foden 7 (On for Mount after 103) - Went into number 10 position and involved as England dominated, jigging and turning as England completely dominated.

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  SUB: Jordan Henderson 6 (On for Rice after 103) - Went alongside Phillips. Tidy.

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  SUB: Kieran Trippier 6 (On for Grealish 106) - Did his job in helping England hold their lead.

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  Kasper Schmeichel 8 - A super save denied Raheem Sterling but the Denmark goalkeeper conceded only seconds later when Saka’s cross was directed into the net. An even better hand later tipped away a Harry Maguire header. A hand to Kane’s penalty guided it back into the striker’s path. Denmark’s best player.

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  Jannik Vestergaard 5 - Aggressive in the challenge but a mixed game that saw the centre-back struggle against the pace of England. Slow to react to the Bukayo Saka’s run that led to the equaliser and that summed up the game for the centre-back who looked exhausted.

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  Simon Kjaer 7 - Unfortunate to turn the ball into his own net as Raheem Sterling was waiting to pounce. Led the defence well overall and often the Denmark defender who was in the way of offensive crosses.

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  Andreas Christensen 6 - Would have been relieved to see Sterling switch sides not long after the hour mark. Worked tirelessly with England making constant runs in behind and was eventually forced off with a hamstring injury when stretching for a ball.

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  Joakim Maehle 4 - Anonymous to Saka’s run that led to England’s equaliser. No one picked up the Arsenal man as Kane played him through astutely. Questionable decision-making defensively overall eventually led to a costly penalty which he may have been unfortunate to concede. A harsh way to go out for the wingback who was excellent throughout Euro 2020.

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  Thomas Delaney 5 – A sloppy foul gave a free-kick outside the box that began England’s spell of pressure. Careless with passing that often turned over possession before eventually being replaced. A tough day at the office.

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  Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7 - Unphased by the occasion and made frequent tackles to relieve pressure. A stand-out in the midfield in a tough night for Denmark.

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  Jens Stryger Larsen 6 - Could have taken better care of the ball. Not involved much before eventually being replaced by Daniel Wass.

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  Mikkel Damsgaard 7 - The Sampdoria attacking midfielder may be only 21-years-old but he took his free-kick like a major tournament veteran. The attacker’s free-kick gave his nation hope - a vital goal given how England went on to control the game.

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  Kasper Dolberg 6 - A nuisance upfront and battled in a physical matchup with Harry Maguire and John Stones. Dolberg was fighting off scraps for the majority of the game with the Danes looking to hit England on the break.

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  Martin Braithwaite 5 - Uninvolved for the majority of the game. Worked a yard and forced Pickford to make a save late in extra time.

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  SUB: Christian Norgaard (Dolberg 67) 6 - On to help secure a Danish midfield that was beginning to show cracks. Helped against constant waves of England pressure but offered nothing on the opposite end.

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  SUB: Yussuf Poulsen (Damsgaard 67) 5- A tall option in the box but didn’t receive the service to be effective. Gareth Southgate’s side had taken full control by the time the target man came on.

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  SUB: Daniel Wass (Stryger Larsen 68) 6 - Booked quickly for a foul on Grealish. Helped sure up a right side that was allowing too much pressure.

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  SUB: Joachim Andersen (Christensen 79) N/A - On for the injured Andreas Christensen.

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  SUB: Mathias Jensen (Delaney 88) N/A - Couldn’t get on the ball as England continued to dominate. Forced off in extra time with an injury to leave Denmark with 10.

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  SUB: Jonas Wind (Vestergaard 105) N/A - On for an exhausted Vestergaard.

Gareth Southgate noticed when David Seaman appeared on the big screen at Wembley after the Germany game. Normally the England manager does not need to mention Euro 96; someone else will do it first. This time, he did, saying Seaman and the rest of his teammates would never play in an international final. It was an indication that Southgate has carried the burden of a missed penalty with him for a quarter of a century.

But now his England are finalists. Twenty-five years later, his redemption tale only requires its final chapter, England perhaps only 90 minutes away from completing their reinvention. David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, who wrote Three Lions’ increasingly iconic lyrics, were at Wembley to see them win a semi-final. Thirty years of hurt had become 55, but England’s traumatic past may be just that: history.

If the personal narrative has underpinned Southgate’s reign, so has been a determination to avoid the mistakes that proved England’s undoing in previous tournaments. The semi-final with most relevance was not Germany in 1996 but Croatia in 2018. Progress was checked in the last four three years ago. Wednesday’s game felt the antithesis of that.

This time England conceded first, and to a terrific free kick. The question that had remained unanswered during five consecutive clean sheets was how they would respond to trailing. The response was supplied: positively. In a triumph of endurance, this time it was England who got stronger as the game progressed. Harry Kane’s missed penalty was a throwback to numerous previous disappointments, but with a twist: he converted the rebound.

Southgate was criticised for delaying his changes in the World Cup semi-final. He did again in its European Championships counterpart. Yet the most brutal change showed his decisiveness. Alf Ramsey was not permitted to make changes in the 1968 semi-final; Terry Venables chose not to in 1996 when, had he brought on Robbie Fowler for one of his wingers for the last couple of minutes, Southgate might not have taken the sixth penalty. So Jack Grealish was England’s belated first substitute in a European Championship semi-final, but also given the unwanted distinction of being their first substitute to be substituted.

Bringing on Kieran Trippier to protect the lead was a reminder of Southgate’s unpopular reversion to a back three last autumn. It showed the merit of being able to switch between systems. It demonstrated a manager with an understanding of his players, one who is getting the best out of them. In the quarter of a century since Euro 96, as the Premier League has become multinational, it has featured many a world or European champion, many of them teamed at club level with English players who have underachieved for their country.

Not the current crop. Harry Maguire, sent off against Denmark in October when he looked haunted, a man whose life felt in meltdown, stood defiant, producing a vindication of Southgate’s backing of him.

Kane had his finest game of the tournament, supplying defence-splitting passes in the way he did in England’s prolific 2019. He has grown into the competition in a way many a predecessor did not.

Raheem Sterling was irrepressible, making driving runs deep into extra time of his sixth start of the tournament and his 60th appearance of the season. Denmark are entitled to be aggrieved about the spot kick Sterling won — “it feels bitter,” said manager Kasper Hjulmand — but over 120 minutes, England were the better side.

The scenes at the final whistle highlighted the merits of Southgate’s inclusive brand of patriotism. As few under 60 remember England winning a semi-final, perhaps most did not know how to react. Or, indeed, how it will feel to get one more win.

England fans celebrate reaching Euro 2020 final

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  Fans on the streets celebrate England qualifying for the Euro 2020 final after watching the semi final match between England and Denmark, in Birmingham, England.

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  England fans celebrate as they stand on the roof of Leicester Square underground station.

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  Fans celebrate outside Wembley Stadium after England beat Denmark 2-1 in extra-time.

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  England fans cheer at BOXPARK Croydon as they watch a live broadcast of the semi-final match between England and Denmark.

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  England fans celebrate after the match.

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  England fans celebrate on top of a bus at Piccadilly Circus.

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  Fans celebrate after the match.

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  England fans cheer at BOXPARK Croydon.

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  England football fans celebrate in the streets surrounding Piccadilly and Leicester Square.

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  England fans celebrate outside Wembley Stadium.

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  England fans cheer at BOXPARK Croydon as they watch a live broadcast of the semi-final match between England and Denmark.

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  England fans cheer at BOXPARK Croydon.

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  England fans cheer at BOXPARK Croydon.

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  England fans celebrate on the streets of Piccadilly Circus.

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  Fans in Trafalgar Square celebrate England's second goal, scored by Harry Kane.

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  England fans react as they watch a live broadcast of the semi-final match between England and Denmark at Hackney Bridge in London.

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  England fans celebrate after the match at Wembley.

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  England fans celebrate after the match.

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  England fans celebrate after the win over Denmark at Wembley.