Peter Schmeichel Slams Referee For Making A 'Really Big Mistake' Over Controversial Penalty In England Win

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel believes that the referee made a "really big mistake" by awarding England a penalty against Denmark on Wednesday.

Gareth Southgate's men defeated Denmark 2-1 at Wembley in their Euro 2020 semi-final clash to reach their first major final since the 1966 World Cup.

Mikkel Damsgaard fired Denmark into the lead in the first half with a stunning free-kick strike past Jordan Pickford.

But Denmark captain Simon Kjaer bundled the ball past Kasper Schmeichel before half-time after attempting to clear Bukayo Saka's cross.

Raheem Sterling was fouled by Joakim Maehle in extra time as England were awarded a soft penalty in a controversial decision.

Harry Kane's poor spot-kick effort was saved, but the England captain pounced on the rebound to seal the winner for the Three Lions.

Legendary former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was critical over the penalty call and accused VAR of letting referee Danny Makkelie down.

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Now, Schmeichel insisted that Makkelie's decision to award England a penalty would be "debated for a long, long time."

The 57-year-old Denmark hero, who taunted England ahead of the semi-final clash, added that he would have been "much more relaxed and acceptable if they had scored one of the many chances."

Speaking after Denmark's 2-1 defeat, Schmeichel told beIN SPORTS: "He made a really big mistake on the penalty and this will be debated for a long, long time. It's a hard one to take because it's not a penalty.

"I would have been much more relaxed and acceptable if they had scored one of the many chances that they created, but unfortunately, the referee made a big mistake in my opinion.

"I know in your opinion [points at other pundits in the studio] and everyone's opinion, my phone has not stopped going off, everyone else is saying it's not a penalty so I'm quite sure that I'm [right in saying that]."

Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand also admitted that he was "very disappointed" with the result, saying that it "should not have been a penalty."

The 49-year-old Dane was also unhappy with the second ball on the pitch before Makkelie's penalty decision.

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"It was a penalty which should not have been a penalty," Hjulmand said.

"It is something which annoys me right now. We are very disappointed. You cannot pass by the ball on the pitch, which has so much influence on the game.

"I know it sounds weird right now but I cannot help having these feelings. One thing is to lose a game, it happens, but losing this way is disappointing because these guys have fought a lot.

"It feels bitter but we have to digest this before we can discuss these feelings. It's a bitter way to leave the tournament.

"The way we lost makes it harder to understand why we lost. I have to be careful with what I say. We have an amazing group and we definitely can do something great again.

"Maybe it is easier for me to say how I feel in a few days."

Topics: Football, Euro 2020, UEFA, Wembley Stadium, England, Denmark, Peter Schmeichel

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9