Denmark 1-1 England: Player ratings as sloppy Three Lions blow chance to qualify for knockouts

England produced a tame performance in their second Group C game at Euro 2024 as Morten Hjulmand's scorcher from distance earned Denmark a 1-1 draw after Harry Kane's first goal of the tournament.

The Three Lions took an early first-half lead when Kane converted from some pinball in the area, but Gareth Southgate's outfit were uninspiring for much of the contest and were made to pay when Hjulmand bagged a belter to earn the Danes a second draw after sharing the spoils with Slovenia.

England remain top of Group C with four points and victory against Slovenia next Tuesday will secure their place as group winners.

How the game unfolded

Despite the post-match debate over the effectiveness of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden in the opening 1-0 win over Serbia, manager Gareth Southgate opted for an unchanged starting XI at Frankfurt Arena.

Denmark, meanwhile, fielded familiar faces in Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Kasper Schmeichel and employed a back three like they did in the 1-1 draw with Slovenia.

12 low-key minutes started proceedings before Foden found a smidge of room, waltzing his way into the box before his left-footed strike sailed safely past the top corner.

Jude Bellingham struck just shy of a quarter of an hour against Serbia and England grabbed another early lead courtesy of some sleepy Danish defending. Victor Kristiansen had no idea Kyle Walker was eating up the ground behind him and the Manchester City right-back got onto Bellingham's pass before sending a low cross into the box.

Two ricochets off Denmark defenders saw a chance fall kindly to Kane and the captain made no mistake on the six-yard line, guiding his effort into the far corner with Schmeichel given no chance.

However, England's common tendency to drop reared its ugly head again. Loose passes gave Denmark possession time and time again and the Three Lions were punished when Hjulmand was given space to thrash a shot towards goal from 30 yards, hitting the inside of the post and bouncing over the line to equalise.

Kasper Hjulmand's side continued to press well at the start of the second half, disturbing an increasingly beleaguered England midfield that offered little obvious plan in and out of possession. Alexander-Arnold was dragged off before the hour mark before Foden smacked the post with a low effort from distance.

Foden, Kane and Saka were brought off in a triple change but it didn't have the desired effect, with Denmark still looking the more likely to claim all three points.

No late winner arrived, however, with Southgate left with a lot to think about before his side's final group stage outing.

Denmark player ratings (3-4-1-2)

GK: Kasper Schmeichel - 6/10 - Made a couple of smart saves and commanded his area well.

CB: Joachim Andersen - 6/10 - Was comfortable enough defending deep and nodding crosses away.

CB: Jannik Vestergaard - 5/10 - Looked slow and ponderous when England moved the ball quickly, which thankfully for him wasn't too often.

CB: Andreas Christensen - 6/10 - Another of the Danish centre-backs who had a comfortable time dealing with England's passive attack.

RWB: Joakim Maehle - 6/10 - Offered a willing runner up and down the right and picked up a caution.

CM: Morten Hjulmand - 8/10 - Produced a fantastic hit from distance that brought the Danes back onto level terms. He and Hojbjerg were always a step ahead of England's midfield.

CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7/10 - Got shot after shot away and nearly came close to bagging the winner late on. Won the ball back often.

LWB: Victor Kristiansen - 5/10 - Awfully asleep to Walker's surging run as the Danes fell behind. Short pass assisted Hjulmand's cracker.

AM: Christian Eriksen - 6/10 - Helped Denmark create the better openings and led their defensive effort well from the front.

ST: Rasmus Hojlund - 5/10 - Was crowded out by England's centre-backs whenever the ball arrived at his feet.

ST: Jonas Wind - 5/10 - Unsettled England's defenders but didn't have too much in the way of attacking to do.

Substitutes

SUB: Mikkel Damsgaard (57' for Wind) - 6/10

SUB: Alexander Bah (57' for Kristiansen) - 5/10

SUB: Yussuf Poulsen (67' for Hojlund) - 5/10

SUB: Christian Norgaard (82' for Hjulmand) - N/A

SUB: Andreas Skov Olsen (82' for Eriksen) - N/A

Subs not used: Frederik Ronnow (GK), Mads Hermansen (GK), Mathias Jorgensen, Rasmus Kristensen, Simon Kjaer, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Mathias Jensen, Anders Dreyer, Kasper Dolberg.

Manager

Kasper Hjulmand - 6/10 - His side made a poor start but were helped by England's passiveness allowed them a route back into the game.

England player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Jordan Pickford - 7/10 - The busier of the two goalkeepers, though Pickford often had simple long-range strikes to gather.

RB: Kyle Walker - 6/10 - Brushed off an early injury scare to play a key part in the opening goal.

CB: John Stones - 6/10 - Needed to use his experience to push England forward. Defended reasonably well.

CB: Marc Guehi - 7/10 - Sniffed out danger well and stepped in to deny Hojlund any time on the ball.

LB: Kieran Trippier - 5/10 - Did his job well enough defensively but looks so awkward in attack.

CM: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5/10 - Pinged a few long passes forward and got on the charge infrequently but was off before the hour mark having left a few too many holes in midfield.

CM: Declan Rice - 4/10 - England needed his bursting runs from midfield to drag them out of their malaise but they didn't arrive.

RW: Bukayo Saka - 5/10 - Started to run at his marker more often as the game progressed and got more joy, but was hooked alongside Kane and Foden.

AM: Jude Bellingham - 5/10 - Much quieter in the opening 45 than he was against Serbia. Things didn't get much better in the second half.

LW: Phil Foden - 6/10 - Skipped away from some challenges but made the wrong decisions in the opening 45 minutes. Hit the post with a nice effort from distance.

ST: Harry Kane - 6/10 - Showed typical composure to fire England into an early lead but his wayward pass helped Hjulmand equalise.

Substitutes

SUB: Conor Gallagher (54' for Alexander-Arnold) - 5/10 - Booked for a late challenge shortly after his introduction.

SUB: Jarrod Bowen (69' for Foden) - 5/10

SUB: Eberechi Eze (69' for Saka) - 5/10

SUB: Ollie Watkins (69' for Kane) - 6/10

Subs not used: Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Dean Henderson (GK), Ezri Konsa, Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Ivan Toney

Manager

Gareth Southgate - 3/10 - A few experiments that Southgate has tested out need to be brought to an end quickly. The England boss has had tournament success before and needs to get back to the formula that has worked for them before.

Player of the match: Morten Hjulmand (Denmark)

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