Denmark 1-1 England: Three Lions yet to secure knockout berth after Frankfurt stalemate

The Three Lions will have to wait until Tuesday to officially secure progresion to the round-of-16, after a disappointing showing in Frankfurt left England settling for an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Denmark.

In truth, Gareth Southgate’s men were lucky to walk away with a point. They were disjointed – haphazard at times – and looked concerningly timid against the rød-hvide at the Waldstadion.

Southgate, and the rest of the nation, will be desperate for a much-improved showing against Slovenia on Tuesday.

As it happened

England were slow to get going on Wednesday evening in Frankfurt, and some might argue that they never really got going at all. Harry Kane’s opener after 18 minutes at the Waldstadion was fortutious in itself, coming after Kyle Walker capitalised on poor defending from Victor Kristiansen to deliver a low ball into the box – which was duly tucked home via a Bukayo Saka deflection.

(Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The Three Lions held their lead for less than twenty minutes. As has so often been the case throughout Gareth Southgate’s eight-year tenure, taking an early lead is viewed as having already got the job done; extending that advantage seems to be a secondary thought.

It’s a mindset that would prove costly at the Waldstadion, with the warning signs that set in after the goal proving to be indicative of reality when Morten Hjulmand restored parity shortly after the half-hour mark. The midfielder was afforded acres of space, unleashing a blistering effort from 25 yards out that rippled the back of the net via a deflection off the base of the post.

Those who hoped that the interval would afford England time to regroup and an opportunity to emerge as a stronger unit would be left bitterly disappointed; barring Phil Foden’s early effort that crashed against the woodwork, chances were few and far between.

Jude Bellingham could not cut apart the midfield in the same manner that fans have grown accustomed to over the course of the last season, nor could Trent Alexander-Arnold garner any real control from his new position alongside Declan Rice. With any luck, Thursday’s terrible showing should bring an end to that whole experiment: to say it hasn’t worked is one hell of an understatement.

England have well and truly failed to live up to the hype that surrounded them as pre-tournament favourites. The first half of that warm-up friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina was concerning, as was another loss to bogey-team Iceland. Victory against Serbia wasn’t the most convincing either, and now the Three Lions have been lucky to settle for a stalemate.

Gareth Southgate’s men need to find form if they’re to stand any chance of laying hands on the Henri Delauney Cup on July 14. At this moment in time, perhaps not even the most optimistic of England fans truly believes that’s a possibility.