England reached its first men’s major tournament final since winning the World Cup in 1966 after defeating Denmark 2-1 in the Semifinals of Euro 2020 on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.
England was on top since the start of play but within half an hour, Mikkel Damsgaard scored the opening goal in the match with a superb free-kick. After keeping a clean sheet in seven games, England finally conceded their first goal at the Euro 2020. An own goal, from the Denmark captain Simon Kjaer — England level the scoreline. England got more chances in the second half but struggled to break down the battling Denmark defense. In the extra-time, Sterling won a penalty as Harry Kane scored from the rebound after his spot-kick was saved by Kasper Schmeichel. And took England to the finals for the first time since 1966.
Records broken
1. England conceded their first goal at the Euro 2020 after keeping the clean sheet for the last seven games.
2. As per Opta, Simon Kjaer’s own goal is the first the Three Lions have benefited from in European Championship history and the third overall at a major tournament (against Czechoslovakia and Paraguay in 1982 and 2006 World Cups).
3. England Captain scored the fourth goal of the tournament and has equaled with Gary Langer’s 10 goals in the major tournament for England.
4. As per Opta, Denmark’s goal was the first scored against England since March, ending a run of 691 minutes without conceding for the hosts.
5. England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford set a new record for goal-keeping most minutes without conceding a goal (721 minutes), overtaking Gordon Banks’s 720 minutes.
6. Bukayo Saka (19 years, 305 days) became the youngest player to start a match for England at the semi-final stage or later in a major tournament.
“It was a top performance – we had to dig in deep after the first goal we conceded in the tournament, and we regrouped well and showed a good team spirit to come back and win the game. It’s another step in the right direction. But once we’re back in the dressing room it’s over and we’ve got to focus on the weekend now. It’s step-by-step and that’s all we can do,” Sterling told ITV.
“I’m so proud of the players. It was an incredible occasion to be a part of. The fans were incredible all night,” Southgate told the UEFA website.
Gareth Southgate’s men will face Italy on Sunday. Can England win the first major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup? Can 55 years of hurt is about to end? Is it coming home?