Euro 2020 England v Denmark player ratings: Maguire 9, Kane 8; Damsgaard 7

England clinch place in final with 2-1 win at Wembley

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Jul 8, 2021

Harry Kane propelled England to just their second major tournament final as Gareth Southgate’s men secured an extra-time win against Denmark to set-up Sunday’s shot at European Championship glory.

After topping their group, beating Germany and swatting aside Ukraine, this semi-final victory gives the Three Lions a chance to follow in the footsteps of the triumphant 1966 World Cup side by lifting silverware at Wembley.

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Italy lie in wait after a tense, pulsating semi-final under the arch on Wednesday night, when Simon Kjaer’s own goal cancelled out a superb Mikkel Damsgaard free-kick before Kane sealed a 2-1 extra-time win after his penalty was saved.

The final whistle sparked pandemonium in the ground and across the nation as dreams of football coming home edged closer to reality, 25 years on from Southgate’s penalty miss at this stage of the competition against Germany.

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Updated: July 08, 2021, 3:46 AM