Hjulmand strike earns Denmark draw as England struggle after Kane opener
Harry Kane watches on as Morten Hjulmand (right) celebrates Denmark's equaliser. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
“England, England, It’s Never Coming Home.” The chant from the Denmark support – to the tune of Yellow Submarine – had been heard outside the stadium in the hours before kick-off and it would reverberate around it during a highly stressful 90 minutes. On this evidence, it was the understatement of Euro 2024 so far.
Gareth Southgate can highlight the point, which moved England closer to the job done territory of qualification for the last 16. It must be said there is precious little jeopardy around that. Who exactly does not advance?
The jeopardy was to be found in the England performance. They might have nicked the win, Phil Foden hitting a post in the second half; a few other assorted flickers. And, equally, they might have lost because Denmark had their chances. There was a last-ditch quality to some of England’s defending and when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg shaped a curler for the far corner in the 85th minute, England’s hearts were in their mouths. The shot was off target.
England lacked structure in midfield, progressive patterns, with all three of Southgate’s starters here – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham – enduring difficult games. The manager raised eyebrows when he withdrew his front three of Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Foden on 70 minutes, although Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze did bring something in their places.
For England, the control was not there. The hope had been when Kane put them ahead that they could settle but they did not. There was a frenetic feel to the occasion and Denmark were good value for the draw, secured by Morten Hjulmand’s scorching 30-yard drive just after the half hour.
Following the 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday, which had featured a second-half retreat, this was a backwards step for England. The hope remains that they can put their problems behind them and grow into a tournament that they started as one of the favourites. Who was buying that here?
Southgate had wanted to play better than against Serbia, although that did not apply to the opening 30 minutes of that game when England passed and moved sharply. The idea was to make another assured start with the same XI, Southgate keeping the faith, seeking to finesse the tournament bonds.
It did not happen. The truth was that England were ragged at the outset, making errors, too many loose passes. There was a lack of cohesion when it mattered on the ball while it also looked as though a few of Southgate’s players had problems with the turf, which cut up badly.
Kyle Walker was one of them, slipping over twice, rolling his ankle on the second occasion, which looked bad. Fortunately he was able to continue, changing his boots before he re-entered. Walker would be key to the move for the breakthrough goal.
Quite how Victor Kristiansen, the Denmark left wing-back, was unaware of Walker stealing up on his outside was a mystery. Maybe it was because shouts from teammates amid the remorseless din under the closed roof of his excellent stadium were impossible.
But Kristiansen did not see him as he pondered a backpass and, when Walker robbed him, England felt the surge of possibility. Their luck was in, Walker’s low cross, seemingly intended for Foden, deflecting first off Jannik Vestergaard and then Andreas Christensen to break perfectly for Kane. It was a done deal at that point.
Denmark did not panic. They had given up a couple of flickers at 0-0, Foden slipping away from Højberg after a Walker cut-back only to shoot wildly; Kane seeing a shot blocked after Rice had won the ball high up. But it was Denmark who looked the more joined up in the first half, more dangerous.
It was worrying to see how much space they were able to enjoy in between the lines, England’s midfield looking open against the ball. Denmark pushed, England forced to defend with a degree of desperation.
There were an alarming number of situations where England had no options on the ball and Kane was guilty of trying to force a crossfield pass from tight on the left inside his own half on the Denmark equaliser. It went straight to Kristiansen and when he moved it to Hjulmand, he detonated his rocket, watching the ball glance in off Jordan Pickford’s right-hand spot. The power and precision were extraordinary.
Foden would slice past a couple of challengers on 41 minutes only to ignore Kane and shoot weakly and England were the happier to hear the half-time whistle. Hjulmand had found room around the edge of the England area – his shot was blocked – while Højbjerg shot too close to Pickford.
Southgate made a move on 54 minutes, introducing Conor Gallagher for Alexander-Arnold, whose performance will deepen the debate about the balance of the England midfield with him in it. Before Alexander-Arnold went off, he had pumped a long ball forward for Saka, which the winger almost made something of, waiting for the bounce and looping a header just off target.
England sought greater intensity, Gallagher helping, although he would tread a fine line after being booked for a stamp on Christensen. Foden almost gave them the lead with his best moment, a couple of touches followed by a rasping low drive from distance that rattled the upright.
Southgate made his triple change and Watkins would almost get in onto a Bellingham pass. The closing stages were frantic, Marc Guéhi robbed by the substitute, Alexander Bah, after a bad Rice pass but racing back to make a crucial tackle. From the corner, Christensen went close and so did Højbjerg shortly afterwards.