Denmark vs England: Could Denmark present a stumbling block for England?
Both Denmark and England will be aiming to take one step closer towards securing a round of 16 spot when the two sides square off on Thursday. The two opponents are no strangers to each other, having faced off 22 times prior to Thursday’s clash, including during the semi-finals of Euro 2020 three years ago.
Denmark come into this match having earned a point from their tournament opener against Slovenia. It was an emotional day for key man Christian Eriksen and his teammates, especially considering that the Manchester United star suffered a frightening health crisis during his team’s opening match at Euro 2020 that could have ended tragically. Fortunately for the player, his family, and supporters, he has since made a full recovery and marked his return to the Euros by putting his side 1-0 up inside the first 20 minutes. However, Slovenia had other ideas, and with Denmark unable to capitalize on their advantage, Kasper Hjulmand’s men were made to pay for their wastefulness as Slovenia pulled a goal back to keep their own tournament hopes alive.
Three years ago, Denmark overcame a rather traumatic start following Eriksen’s collapse to make a deep run to the semi-finals, where they were eventually thwarted by England following a 2-1 loss in extra-time. That result will definitely be on many players’ minds as they take on a very familiar opponent, and one that has caused them their fair share of frustrations over the years. To date, Denmark have won just four of their last 22 games against England, albeit the Three Lions have won just one of their most recent four in regular time (90 minutes or less).
England will definitely have that in mind as they prepare to try to book their spot in the round of 16. Gareth Southgate’s men weren’t at their very best, but thanks to a goal from Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham, the Euro 2020 runners-up earned a well-deserved 1-0 win over Serbia. At points in the game, though, England were really put on the back foot as Serbia attempted to find a way back into the game, and there was an overwhelming sense of relief among England’s players and supporters when the whistle blew for full-time.
They will obviously need to do much better on matchday two if they want to achieve something they have never done at a Euro tournament – to win two group stage games in a row. England are unbeaten in the group stages at European championships since losing to France in 2004 (W8 D4), but the Three Lions will be facing an opponent who will likely not be broken down that easily. Despite their better head to head record against Denmark, only one of their last four meetings have seen more than one goal scored. That means that it’s highly likely that this game will be decided by the slimmest of margins – and in matches like that, anything is possible.
