England have missed out on automatically qualifying for the knockout stages of the Euros on Thursday night after drawing 1-1 with Denmark.
Manager Gareth Southgate admitted there is a “huge amount of work to do” after the Three Lions were booed by their supporters for their lacklustre showing at the Frankfurt Arena.
England’s display will not strike fear into Europe’s elite, with Southgate’s selection and the underwhelming all-round team performance sure to be pored over in minute detail before facing Slovenia on Tuesday.
However, Southgate’s men remain on top of Group C with four points and have a strong chance of qualifying for the round of 16.
The Three Lions need at least a draw against Slovenia to automatically book their place in the knockout phase.
England started with the same team that beat Serbia and yet again wobbled after going ahead.
Captain Harry Kane got England off the mark with a neat finish in the 18th minute but Denmark recovered well and began to dominate the game.
Kane celebrates after putting England ahead. Pic: Reuters
Bold substitutions not enough to secure three points
Morten Hjulmand equalised for the Danes with a long-range effort in the 34th minute after England gave the ball away from a throw-in.
Sky Sports News’s Rob Dorsett summed up many England fans’ feelings in the second half, saying: “Have you ever seen England this disorientated in recent tournaments?”
Phil Foden, who put in a better performance than he did against Serbia, hit the post for England in the second half as both sides had chances to win the game.
Morten Hjulmand scored for the Danes. Pic: Reuters
Morten Hjulmand’s strikes goes past England keeper Jordan Pickford. Pic: Reuters
Southgate made four substitutions – replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher, Foden with Jarrod Brown, Bukayo Saka with Eberechi Eze and Kane with Ollie Watkins.
The introduction of Watkins nearly paid off immediately after he forced Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel into a save from a tight angle.
The changes on the whole brought more intensity but England still lacked the quality to go ahead for a second time and Denmark looked more likely to snatch a winner.
From left: Declan Rice, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold look dejected after the game. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
‘We know we can improve’
Southgate told BBC Sport after the game: “There’s a huge amount of work [to do], that’s evident from the performances we’ve given.
“We have to stay tight, we understand people will be disappointed with the performances – and rightly so. We’ve got to make them better.”
Kane admitted England had not been at their best, but promised that they would rediscover their form.
He told BBC One after the match: “For sure, we’ve got levels that we can reach and we can be better both with the ball and without the ball, there’s no question.
“But I think the sign of a good team is when you’re not playing at your best and you still find a way to get results, like we have done in the last two games.
“We’re top of the group, we’re all-but qualified, which is what I said in the press conference before is that’s the number one objective and yes, we know we can improve.”