England passed up the chance to qualify for the round of 16 as group winners with a game to spare after a drab draw with Denmark.
Despite struggling in the second half of the opening fixture against Serbia, Gareth Southgate elected to pick an unchanged side against the Danes, who England triumphed against in the semi-final at Wembley in 2021.
Southgate resisted calls to leave out Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden and after a slow start, the Three Lions settled into the game and went 1-0 up through Harry Kane’s 64th goal for his country.
Advert
Morten Hjulmand levelled in the 34th minute with a fine strike from distance and England’s levels dropped again in an extremely sloppy display.
But how did the England players perform at the Frankfurt Arena?
Jordan Pickford - 6
Became England’s record appearance maker at major tournaments and produced another solid display in between the sticks. No blame attached for the goal.
Kyle Walker - 6
Suffered an early injury scare when his ankle appeared to give way on the turf. Did excellently for Kane’s opener when he pickpocketed Victor Kristiansen down the right.
John Stones - 6
A few moments of sloppiness but generally defended well, particularly with crosses into the box.
Marc Guehi - 7
Looked assured again in just his second start at a major tournament. One iffy moment that he recovered well from. Still only 23, expect him to be a regular at the heart of England’s backline for years to come.
Kieran Trippier - 5
Continues to deputise well at left-back but you get the sense that a fit Luke Shaw would give the team much more balance.
Declan Rice - 5
The Arsenal man made a number of vital interceptions but did misplace more passes than usual.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 4
Played some nice passes in between the lines but you get the impression that the midfield experiment might not be working. Replaced by Conor Gallagher in the 53rd minute.
Jude Bellingham - 5
Wasn’t able to take the game by the scruff of the neck as he so often does and didn’t quite get going.
Bukayo Saka - 5
Denmark clearly had a plan for him after seeing the damage he did to Serbia in the first game. Offered a threat with his running in behind but not his best England display.
Phil Foden - 5
Showed some promise when popping up in his favourite positions, including one slaloming run in the first half and a strike against the post in the second. But we are still not seeing him excel on the international stage.
Harry Kane - 5
The skipper scored his 64th England goal with a composed left-footed finish but his overall showing wasn’t all that impressive. He gave away the ball cheaply from a throw-in for Denmark’s leveller and him dropping deep left England a little short in attack. Taken off for Watkins.
Subs:
Conor Gallagher - 5
Came on for Alexander-Arnold and was booked not long after entering the fray.
Ollie Watkins – 6
Brought on for Kane and immediately stretched the game with constant running in behind, giving Denmark a new kind of problem.
Jarrod Bowen – 5
Unlike against Serbia, struggled to make too much of an impact.
Eberechi Eze – 5
One glimpse of what he’s all about with a pass in behind that just evaded Watkins.
Topics: England, Euro 2024, Denmark, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden
Josh Lawless