How’re we doing, folks? Here we go: a European Championship semi-final between our great historic enemy, and the English.
Kick-off is just over a half an hour away, and by 10pm, we should know who will be getting bear-hugged by Giorgio Chiellini at Wembley this Sunday: England or Denmark.
What do you reckon?
Poll Results:
Gavan Casey here, by the way, and I’ll be typing you through the action at Wembley tonight if you can’t make it in front of a telly.
First, allow me to whet the appetite…
For the first time in 15 years Atomic Kitten reunite on Heart Breakfast and perform their new song ‘Southgate You’re the One (football’s coming home again)! ⚽️👏
— Heart (@thisisheart) July 7, 2021
Sing along with us! 🎶 @JamieTheakston @AmandaHolden @ImAshleyRoberts pic.twitter.com/oAUU92anXp
Sorry, eh, wrong link…
🗣 "What would it mean to you guys to stop it 'coming home' tomorrow night?"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 6, 2021
"Has it ever been home? Have you ever won it?"
Kasper Schmeichel went there 💥#ENGDEN | #ITVFootball | #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/X4x2SQDyyq
I’ve spent most of my day trying to think of a hypothetical Irish equivalent to this.
The Artane Boys Band playing ‘Joxer’ outside Panti Bliss’ gaff? Aslan belting out ‘The Fields’ in Michael D. Higgins’ back garden? Suggestions welcome.
🏴 It’s coming home… Three Lions c/o @ColdstreamBand @ClarenceHouse as requested by Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall … @EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/F3VRQeRz0j
— Max Foster (@MaxFosterCNN) July 7, 2021
Oh my…
When that Atomic Kitten nonsense came out when I was in university, I did not imagine I would be in a 60,000 crowd of probably mostly middle-aged men, them absolutely loving it pic.twitter.com/EugK1vYvE3
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) July 7, 2021
After this interesting piece by Tony O’Donoghue…
Irish people supporting England? It's complicated, reports @Corktod #EURO #ENGDEN #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/UgjuGowVRS
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 7, 2021
…Liam Brady on RTÉ says we need to “leave aside” Oliver Cromwell, the Black and Tans, and get behind the Three Lions tonight because “this is a likeable England team” that plays good football.
Richie Sadlier says he wants England to lose, but only because they’re playing the Danes who have been through a lot.
Didi Hamann, then, says he disagrees with Liam about England’s brand of football and adds: “I couldn’t care less if they lose.”
‘Sweet Caroline’ has now replaced that bastardised version of Atomic Kitten classic ‘Whole Again’ as it’s bellowed out around Wembley.
And here come the teams. Fierce noise.
The Danish anthem was, of course, booed.
The Vikings last invaded Britain in 1066, lads. Get over it.
God Save The Queen is roared out and here we go.
Skippers Harry Kane and Simon Kjaer pose with a signed jersey — I think and England jersey — with Christian Eriksen’s name on the back, that Kane presented to Kjaer for his former Spurs team-mate.
Here comes the little car with the ball. Hahaha, can we keep that even after the Euros, after the pandemic? It’s never not funny.
The Danes get us under way. They’re playing from left to right on the broadcast angle. Of course, that makes no odds to those of you following this match on a liveblog.
3′ - England have started at breakneck speed, hassling the Danes and almost creating a chance. Some complaints about a potential back-pass that Kasper Schmeichel was accused by some England fans and players of picking up, but it was more of a bobble off his own defender from what I saw.
5′ - Raheem Sterling looks ‘on it’. Sharp, impish, energetic. He’s causing the Danes bother down that left flank.
6′ - Ooft, England are tearing into it, here. Harry Kane whips a beautiful cross across the entire Danish defence from the right-hand side, but it’s just out of reach of Sterling who was charging in from the opposite side.
8′ – The Danes haven’t yet gotten a foothold. They’re struggling to keep pace and haven’t yet enjoyed a sustained spell of possession. They do look content, however, to try and absorb as best they can and ride out this early English storm.
10′ - After some nice link-up play, finally, by Denmark, Jens Stryger plays a lovely ball over the top for Mikkel Damsgaard to chase. It looks briefly ominous for England but Kyle Walker deals with it exceptionally well, covering across and putting himself between Damsgaard and ball to erase any semblance of danger.
13′ - First save of the game by Kasper Schmeichel but it was a tame effort by Raheem Sterling, who dribbles one down the middle of the goal.
The Danes are conspicuously looking to hit England on the break but there haven’t been too many opportunites so far, with Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker snuffing out some early attempted breaks.
15′ - Lovely ball into a central area by Walker to Harry Kane, who controls it well but fires miles over from about 25 yards.
16′ - Denmark get two shots off in quick succession. Firstly, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fires straight at Jordan Pickford. The England ‘keeper, though, makes a hames of his attempt to get England moving again and Martin Braithwaite has an effort deflected out for a corner.
Pickford punches the corner away and England escape through Mount.
22′ - Scrappy period of the game. You wouldn’t quite say it has ‘settled’ but it’s just been…bad for a few minutes. Ball bobbling around midfield.
25′ – Patient piece of play by Denmark leads to Sampdoria’s Damsgaard curling one maybe five metres wide of Pickford’s top-left corner.
Denmark have grown into this without offering much: they’ve stifled England a little bit, at least, and the game more closely resembles pinball than anything we saw last night.
29′ - Immediately from a free-kick from deep, delivered by Stryger, Christensen is brought down about 25 yards from goal by Shaw.
Dangerous for England as Stryger and Damsgaard line this one up…
30′ - OHHHHHH IT’S A SCREAMER BY MIKKEL DAMSGAARD! From 25 yards, he thumps it past Pickford, and Denmark lead at Wembley! 1-0!
33′ - Well, that’s thrown the cat among the pigeons…
England trail for the first time in the tournament, and Damsgaard’s is the very first goal they’ve conceded!
33′ - It’s the first time in seven games that England have conceded, in fact.
Pickford’s distribution has been poor so far — another pass goes astray and the anxious crowd really let him know about it.
36′ - Kane is taken down in a very similar position — in relation to goal — as where Damsgaard scored from.
Suddenly, danger for the Danes.
Mount, Sterling and Shaw eyeing it up… But Sterling’s effort hits Kjaer in the wall.
Tell you what, Kjaer did well there — he actually properly leaps to block what looked like a fine strike.
39′ - AND JUST LIKE THAT, THEY’RE LEVEL! It’s actually an OG by Simon Kjaer, in the end, who moments after he foiled Sterling’s free-kick, is pressurised by the attacker to the point that he deflects in Saka’s cross across the six-yard box.
Kasper Schmeichel had just pulled off a wonder save from Sterling but England find their way through soon afterwards, and it’s 1-1!
42′ - Well, this is pretty fun, isn’t it?
43′ - It was Kane who threaded a beautiful ball through for Saka for England’s goal. He has been the most creative-looking force for Gareth Southgate’s men so far. Eye-of-the-needle stuff on at least three occasions.
Aside from a dodgy spell from about 20-30 minutes, that was an absorbing half of football.
We know, now, how England respond when they’re behind, but equally the Danes have had one or two moments even outside of Damsgaard’s wonderful free-kick that would make you think the second half could be similarly fun.
Catch you in about 15 minutes.
46′ - We’re back under way at Wembley. So, who’s going to join the Italians in Sunday’s final?
We’ll find out over the next 45 minutes, or 75, or 75 plus penalties — aka The Liveblogger’s Nightmare.
48′ – Jannik Vestergaard fouls Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount has a chance to whip one in from the right.
It’s a decent ball but Harry Maguire is adjudged to have fouled Simon Kjaer in the air — and he gets booked?
Hmmm, he does catch Kjaer with his arm but it was totally accidental as they each challenged for the ball honestly.
Maguire, you’ll remember, was sent off when Denmark beat England at Wembley during the Nations League just 10 months ago.
52′ – VERY good save by Pickford who gets down sharply to his right-hand side to save from Dolberg, but the Dane is then adjudged to have been offside.
Decent one for Pickford’s confidence — he was arguably at fault for Damsgaard’s goal, as good a strike as it was, and he’s been poor with the ball at his feet.
55′ - Denmark just starting to find a couple of pockets of space. Pickford punches a cross clear.
Moments later, England break through Sterling and Kane and the latter is fouled near the touchline, but in a perfect area for Mount or Saka to whip another cross.
OHHHH, WHAT A SAVE BY KASPER SCHMEICHEL! A superb header by Harry Maguire is turned away at full stretch. Sublime stop!
55′ – I can’t stress enough how good that save was. If Denmark can squeeze through, here, it’ll go down in legend.
58′ - Nice move by Denmark as Hojbjerg, Braithwaite and Dolberg combine, with the latter spinning onto his left but firing straight at Pickford.
59′ - Oooohhh, Sterling is patient at the corner of the box, eventually feeds the on-rushing Shaw whose cross trickles agonisingly across the six-yard box. Could have been another own goal but Hojbjerg rightly left it!
62′ - Mount briefly gets in behind but Denmark cover well and block his left-footed effort. England cranking up the pressure a bit, here.
64′ - Mount has a tame, placed effort caught by Schmeichel, but the Danes couldn’t really escape their own half, there, for a few minutes.
67′ - Kasper Hjulmand is about to make three changes.
Yussuf Pulsen for the goalscorer, Mikkel Damsgaard.
Daniel Wass for Jens Stryger.
And Christian Norgaard for Kasper Dolberg.
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish is nearing an introduction for England.
69′ - Grealish replaces Bukayo Saka, who has been a thorn in Denmark’s side so can consider himself a little unfortunate.
72′ - Wass is booked moments after coming on for taking down Grealish who was breaking.
Here’s that Schmeichel save in two acts…
74′ - A deflected cross by Mount almost loops over Schmeichel but the ‘keeper tips it over his own post.
From the corner, the ball breaks to Sterling in a congested box and his effort is blocked.
Moments later, down goes Kane! HUGE APPEAL! But NO PENALTY says the referee! What?! It looked a stone-waller!
Ah, it seems the referee gave a foul against Kane seconds before he was taken down in the area.
76′ – You’d have to say this game is ebbing towards England, the more it progresses. Denmark haven’t been able to fashion anything for a considerable period of time and Wembley is hopping.
78′ - Wow, superb interception by Maguire, who again has been excellent, and he angles an almost-inch-perfect pass wide towards Grealish on the left, but Christensen pokes it away at full-stretch.
His crucial intervention, though, has come at a cost: he was down earlier and now he’s going off injured, to be replaced by Lille’s Joachim Andersen.
Are we going to get a winner in normal time?
80′ - Kalvin Phillips fires low and wide from maybe 25 yards, but Schmeichel had it covered.
England seem cognisant not to over-commit going forward at this stage: Denmark are still set up to hit them on the break, and it would appear to be their sole intention beyond making it to extra time.
82′ - Shaw’s free-kick from deep is glanced well wide by John Stones. Might have come off his shoulder, actually.
Kasper Schmeichel. Takes. His. Time. With the goal kick.
86′ - The game has slowed. England still more offensive than the Danes, but cautious compared to first 80 or so minutes.
The Danes are looking for a way in but Harry Maguire continues to simply say, ‘No.’
88′ - Denmark make their fifth change: Mathias Jensen replaces our very own Thomas Delaney, who has just won a corner.
88′ - England win a free-kick from that resulting corner and a cheer of relief sounds out around Wembley.
This is nervy, now, for both sides.
90′ - England are back in the ascendancy with Shaw having a look, and a lot of possession around the Danish area.
Yowza!
92′ - England moving the ball around patiently but Denmark have kept their shape really well over the course of this last half an hour.
93′ -Joakim Maehle is almost caught napping from a free-kick as he ties his laces! Eventually, Kalvin Phillips takes one on on his weaker left foot and it flies over.
It’s looking like another 30 minutes, here.
94′ - Hang on, another free-kick from wide right for England. Mason Mount to deliver…
Maguire gets up again! But it’s a more routine save for Schmeichel this time around, no power in the header.
That’s that. England knock on the door all the way to the full-time whistle but Denmark hold out. We go to the afters!
Denmark showed tremendous organisation to keep England at bay during that second half but if it’s possible for a side to look mentally exhausted, they do.
Let’s see what they can make of this quick break, but one senses this is only going one way in extra time…
Catch you in a few again.
91′ - Here we go…again!
93′ - Jordan Henderson and Ben Foden are about to come on for England, who have made just one change to this point.
94′ - CHANCE FOR ENGLAND! Well, it probably should have been only a half-chance but after a lovely ball down the right by Walker, Harry Kane drives the ball towards Kasper Schmeichel’s far corner but the Danish goalkeeper is a match for it. Another outstanding save. The ball rebounds into a central area in the box but Denmark just about clear it.
95′ - Henderson and Foden replace Rice and Mount, respectively.
98′ - After another period of English pressure, they win a corner. Phil Foden delivers but the header goalbound is partially blocked. It comes out to Grealish who SHOOTS! Straight at Schmeichel, who parries due to the power of the strike.
England work it again to Sterling, who forges a yard for himself at the edge of the area but fires 20 yards high and wide.
100′ - Denmark really can’t even get up the field, now. Poulsen looks…forlorn.
Henderson wins a corner on the overlap from a wonderfully incisive ball by Foden. The Man City man himself delivers but it’s a poor one, headed clear.
Still, Denmark are under the cosh here.
112′ - VAR are having a look after Raheem Sterling went down in the area! AND IT’S GIVEN!!!
Maehle with the faintest of touches on Sterling, and now, up steps captain Harry Kane!
114′ – PENALTY SAVED BY SCHMEICHEL! REBOUND SCOOOOOORRREEED BY HARRY KANE!!!
England are on their way!
116′ - Delirium at Wembley but you’d have to feel for Schmeichel who stopped Kane’s original strike from the spot, but couldn’t deflect it away far enough.
118′ - We’re into the last of three minutes of added time at the end of the first half of extra time, for what it’s worth.
Denmark will have 15 minutes to salvage this, but they look utterly spent — and understandably when you see what they put into that second half of normal time.
Two things: the touch on Sterling was incredibly slight-looking based on the TV angles, and I’d suspect it’ll be deemed controversial. But there is a touch, if you look closely.
And Schmeichel: maybe a little bit less unfortunate than I thought on the penalty save. I was typing fairly frantically so I didn’t see that he actually kind of tried to catch, or smother, the pen, and it just spilled out. In fairness, the ball might have been too close to his body for him to actually parry it.
106′ – Kieran Trippier has replaced Jack Grealish for the last 15 minutes. Grealish presumably has a knock?
112′ – This is kind of like what that bad patch of the first half of normal time was like. Ball just bobbling around the place without much purpose. Denmark are trying but they’re out on their feet. England are happy with their lot and proving impenetrable thus far.
24′ - Well, Braithwaite has a shot — which, in all honesty, was spinning wide — tipped further wide by Pickford. Corner Denmark.
Kane leaps like a salmon to bop it clear. The Wembley crowd voices its appreciation.
118′ - Another corner for Denmark. Wass swings it but again, an English head gets it away.
England are being pretty conservative, here, considering their dominance for the last hour of normal time and extra time.
But they don’t look like being breached, either.
Olés ring out from the crowd as they keep possession.
They’re nearly there!
119′ - That looks to be that… England playing keep-ball, Denmark not really getting close. They’ve put everything into it.
But so too have the English, who have outplayed a serious side, here, tonight — probably the best they’ve faced all tournament, given Germany turned out to be gack.
The wait is seconds away from being over.
THERE IT IS! ENGLAND HAVE REACHED THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL! THEIR FIRST MAJOR FINAL IN 55 YEARS!
Thanks for joining us, folks. It all comes down to Sunday, but I think we all know what’s going to happen at this stage…
