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Tag: England

  • Euro 2020: Ref must explain England penalty – Denmark midfielder

    Euro 2020: Ref must explain England penalty – Denmark midfielder

    Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was left frustrated with the manner of Denmark’s Euro 2020 semifinal defeat to England.

    The Danes lost 2-1 thanks to a controversial penalty in extra-time.

    Hojbjerg later said: “What is there to say after this round? Not much has been said. There has been a bit of a look at the penalty kick that might have been.

    “When I stood next to him (Raheem Sterling), I did not think there is a penalty kick, because I thought the ball was pushed, and then he fell before there was contact.

    “But it all happened quickly, so I may be wrong now. It annoys me that many say that it may not have been there and that VAR is not taking over.

    “I can not comment on something I have not seen, but I hope the ref does the right thing. That’s why we have him and VAR.

    “From now on, maybe you should let the ref go in front of a microphone or a camera so they can speak. If there is no VAR on, errors can occur, but when there is a VAR, they must be allowed to stand here afterwards.

    “How do they feel? What were they thinking? What was their view on it all? It is easy as a player to have to answer one thing and another and not have to comment, but sometimes you would like to hear from the referee himself what he thought.

    “I’m not angry, but it puts things in perspective a bit. I generally think that the level of refereeing has been really nice and really high, so that way I do not complain.”

  • England reach first Euros final, to battle Italy at Wembley

    England reach first Euros final, to battle Italy at Wembley

    England battled back from a goal down to beat Denmark after extra time on a truly memorable night at Wembley and reach a first major men’s tournament final since 1966.

    Captain Harry Kane’s 105th minute goal, after Kasper Schmeichel had saved his penalty, secured the Three Lions a place in the Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday.

    Mikkel Damsgaard had stunned England fans in the 60,000 crowd by putting the Danes ahead with a sumptuous free-kick – the first goal Gareth Southgate’s side had conceded at Euro 2020.

    Denmark keeper Schmeichel denied Raheem Sterling from close range before England equalised when captain Simon Kjaer put past his own keeper trying to stop Sterling from connecting with Bukayo Saka’s low cross.

    On a night of huge excitement and tension, Schmeichel then produced a full-stretch save to keep out Harry Maguire’s header and he also denied Kane and substitute Jack Grealish before Kane’s winner.

    It is the first time England have reached the European Championship final.

    Kane’s goal means the Tottenham forward has equalled Gary Lineker’s long-standing record of 10 goals for England at major tournaments.

  • Harry Kane warns Denmark: I’m feeling unstoppable

    Harry Kane warns Denmark: I’m feeling unstoppable

    England captain Harry Kane is warning Denmark that he is approaching his best form.

    The Tottenham striker started slowly at Euro 2020, failing to score in the group stages.

    He has three goals in two knockout stage matches, netting against Germany and twice against Ukraine.

    Now England take on the Danes at Wembley on Wednesday for a spot in Sunday’s showpiece final at the same venue.

    Asked about his form, Kane said: “To be honest, probably not. My game understanding, in terms of what I need to do to not just help myself but also the team, is probably at its best in my career so far.

    “It is not a problem. If you try to stop me that’s OK because we have got other players who are just as good, who are going to cause problems. It is not the case where you stop me and you stop us as a team. We have plenty of threats, plenty of options, plenty of different ways of playing.

    “From my point of view it is just assessing that on the pitch, seeing what formation they are playing and setting up and just trying to adapt my game to that. I feel like when I’m playing at my best I can score goals or provide assists against anyone.”

  • Southgate has made England camps enjoyable – Maguire

    Southgate has made England camps enjoyable – Maguire

    Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire believes Gareth Southgate has made England camps enjoyable for his players.

    The Three Lions have reached their second consecutive major tournament final under Southgate.

    They will play Denmark in the at Euro 2020 semi on Wednesday, and Maguire has talked up Southgate’s influence ahead of the game.

    He said: “I can only speak on behalf of myself but I am sure everyone is so happy in terms of coming to the England camps and the way he has made it so enjoyable for everyone.

    “Obviously winning football matches over the past three years has really helped that along. Like I say, I can’t speak highly enough of Gareth and what he has done for me personally and the trust and faith he has put in me.”

  • England will use World Cup heartbreak against Denmark – Maguire

    England will use World Cup heartbreak against Denmark – Maguire

    Manchester United captain Harry Maguire believes England must use previous hurt to spur them on to glory.

    The Three Lions take on Denmark in the second semi final at Euro 2020 on Wednesday.

    England lost in the World Cup semi finals to Croatia three years ago and now have a chance to erase that memory with a win at Wembley this week.

    “The motivation is there,” Maguire said, per the BBC.

    “Losing the semi-final at the World Cup hurt a lot.”

    He added: “I think we’re in a lot better place than we were.

    “The experience of that, we’ve learnt from it. We’ve had a lot of big games in that period to improve and a lot of time spent together on the training pitch, friendlies and qualifiers. Every game we play we feel we improve.

    “In this tournament, from the first game to the Ukraine game, there’s a lot of differences in the principles that we’re demanding from each other. Of course we’re in a better place now, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”

  • I’ve proved people wrong my whole career – Kane

    I’ve proved people wrong my whole career – Kane

    Tottenham striker Harry Kane says he never lost confidence during his goal drought at Euro 2020.

    The striker went goalless in England’s three group stage games, but has since scored three times in the round of 16 and quarter-finals.

    “I have kind of had to do that my whole career, since I was a kid,” Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live of proving people wrong.

    “I’ve had to prove people wrong to get to where I am now. I have full belief in who I am as a player and what I can do on the pitch, what I do to help the team.

    “It’s not so much about proving other people wrong. It’s about proving to myself again that I am as good as I can be, I can score at any level, I’ve done it at any stage.

    “When you go three or four games without scoring, you want to score and put that to bed and at a major tournament it gets heightened even more. But the fact that I have so much self-belief in myself and my team, I don’t really let that stuff affect me.

    “Of course when you score in a big game, it is natural the emotions come out and you feel free and a lot of people then say it kick-starts you to score a couple in the quarter-final.

    “Whether I score or don’t score I always feel I am ready for the next opportunity. It’s great that I am scoring now and obviously a big semi-final to come but I’ll be the same player if I scored or didn’t score.

  • Man Utd captaincy has changed Maguire – Southgate

    Man Utd captaincy has changed Maguire – Southgate

    England manager Gareth Southgate admits becoming Manchester United captain was a turning point for Harry Maguire.

    The Three Lions centre-back has been a towering presence since regaining full fitness at Euro 2020.

    He was outstanding in the round of 16 against Germany and scored in the 4-0 win over Ukraine in the quarter finals.

    “The beginning of this season was very difficult for Harry on a number of fronts so it’s brilliant to see how he has emerged with so much more confidence as a leader,” Southgate told reporters.

    “You can see that within the group. Being captain of Manchester United is a massive challenge, a massive responsibility but it’s brought a lot more out of him.

    “You can see he’s more confident in himself and has gone on to another level not just on his game but on his maturity.”

  • I don’t want to talk about Man Utd – Sancho

    I don’t want to talk about Man Utd – Sancho

    England winger Jadon Sancho says that he will not think about a move to Manchester United while the Three Lions remain in Euro 2020.

    The Borussia Dortmund winger is on the brink of a switch to Old Trafford. The clubs have reached an agreement over a fee and only the formalities of the deal need take place before he becomes a Manchester United player.

    “To be fair, I don’t want to talk about Manchester United. Right now I just want to focus on England,” he told BBC Radio5 Live when quizzed about his upcoming move.

    Instead, he focused on the European Championship match, which took place in Rome.

    “I’m feeling over the moon. Today was must-win and I’m just happy to have got an opportunity to play. This is a special moment for me,” he said.

    “Every time I haven’t been playing I’ve been going back to training and been giving it everything.

    “I’ve just been focusing on myself while I’ve been at England. I’ve always been ready if I needed to come on.

    “We knew today was going to be a big game, Ukraine are a very good side. I’m delighted.”

  • I’ve never been happier – Luke Shaw

    I’ve never been happier – Luke Shaw

    Manchester United fullback Luke Shaw admits he’s loving England’s Euro 2020 campaign.

    Ahead of tonight’s Euro 2020 quarterfinal with Ukraine, Shaw says he’s never been so happy.

    He declared: “Everything about the last few days has been so good and I have not felt so happy for a long time. I hope the fans feel the same.

    “The experience has been incredible. The team spirit and togetherness of the team is something I have not experienced before. You can see how close everyone is and the way they have built St. George’s Park (England’s base) is also incredible.

    “It has gotten good so fast and we have been here for almost a month. Time flies, but we enjoy it.”

  • England thrash Ukraine to reach first Euros semi-final in 25 years

    England thrash Ukraine to reach first Euros semi-final in 25 years

    England produced a magnificent display as they thrashed Ukraine in Rome to set up a Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark at Wembley.

    Manager Gareth Southgate’s side followed up the landmark victory over Germany in the last 16 by producing a performance of composure and the highest quality to continue their impressive progress in this tournament.

    Harry Kane was back to his predatory best after struggling in the group stage, following up his goal against Germany by poking home a superb pass from Raheem Sterling after only four minutes.

    Ukraine barely threatened and England – having reached the last four at the 2018 World Cup – were on their way to a second successive semi-final when Harry Maguire powered home a header from Luke Shaw’s free-kick seconds after the break.

    And the outstanding Shaw was the creator once more four minutes later with a perfect cross that was headed in from six yards by Kane.

    England were so impressive as they simply overpowered Ukraine with substitute Jordan Henderson getting the fourth – his first international goal, in his 62nd appearance – when he arrived with perfect timing to head in Mason Mount’s corner.

    To add to England and Southgate’s satisfaction, they kept their fifth successive clean sheet to maintain their record of not conceding a goal at Euro 2020.

    They will now meet Denmark in the last four at Wembley on Wednesday