Denmark is boiling over a penalty, all of England is dreaming

Gareth Southgate was still euphoric more than an hour after the historic final whistle. “I've never experienced Wembley like this. Sharing that with the nation is very special,” enthused England’s national football coach after the Three Lions’ first final appearance at a major tournament in 55 years.

“The best thing is that we gave our fans and the nation a fantastic night,” said the coach after the 2:1 (1:1, 1:1) after extra time in the European Championship semi-final against Denmark in front of over 60.000 fans in the London football temple. “England makes history,” was the headline Times on Thursday morning.

Gareth Southgate marched England to the final. © APA/afp / PAUL ELLIS

With their triumph, the English also ended a European Championship for Denmark that was remarkable in many respects. “They played an incredible tournament,” said Southgate, praising his colleague Kasper Hjulmand's team, who were carried through the tournament by the emotional support of their compatriots after the drama surrounding their star Christian Eriksen in the first European Championship game. The Danish coach also said: “These boys are exceptional, the whole nation can be proud.” “A bitter way to leave” Denmark coach Kaser Hjulmand But despite the joy of what he had achieved, the coach felt above all disappointment. “We were so close to the final. It makes me angry that it is decided like this,” said the 49-year-old, referring to Harry Kane’s decisive goal in extra time (104th minute). The striker converted a controversial penalty in the follow-up. “It was a penalty that shouldn’t have been given,” said Hjulmand, referring to the scene in which Raheem Sterling fell in the penalty area. “To lose like that is disappointing. A bitter way to leave.”

Mikkel Damsgaard (30th) had previously given the Danes the lead with a free kick, and Danish captain Simon Kjaer (39th) equalized for England with an own goal. Southgate, on the other hand, did not want to evaluate the decisive scene. “If you look at the whole game, we deserve this. We had more chances,” said the coach. Southgate is already looking to Italy And this time the Three Lions won't have to stop short of the goal again. Even as they celebrated the victory, Captain Kane and his teammates looked ahead to the final against Italy at Wembley on Sunday (21 p.m.). “What an opportunity, our first European Championship final at Wembley,” said Kane. “We’re enjoying this today, but the focus now is on Sunday.”

Southgate prepared his team and the fans for a difficult task against the Squadra Azzurra, who beat Spain 4-2 on penalties and are one of the most convincing teams in the entire tournament so far. “We have followed their progress closely over the past few years. They play with a lot of energy, it is difficult to score against them,” he said. “This is the biggest test we could have. But it’s wonderful to have this opportunity.”

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Denmark is boiling over a penalty, all of England is dreaming

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