England vs Denmark player ratings as Walker shines but Alexander-Arnold struggles again
England 1-1 Denmark: Gareth Southgate’s side take only a point against impressive Danish side as Harry Kane opens Euro 2024 account but is then substituted on difficult afternoon for Three Lions
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Your support makes all the difference.England struggled in their second match at Euro 2024, escaping with a point after a 1-1 draw against an impressive Denmark on Thursday night.
Harry Kane opened his Euro 2024 account in the 18th minute before Denmark equalised through Morten Hjulmand’s long-range strike as the Danes came back strong at the end of the first-half.
Phil Foden hit the post shortly after half-time but Denmark could have won it late on as England wilted, but ultimately it was a point apiece in Frankfurt.
Gareth Southgate’s team face Slovenia in their final Group C clash on Tuesday night still needing a result to guarantee progression to the knockout stages, while Denmark take on Serbia.
But how did each player perform? Here are The Independent’s player ratings:
ENGLAND (4-2-3-1)
Jordan Pickford – 6
Conceded his first goal of the tournament through Morten Hjulmand’s long-range shot but can’t really be blamed for a pinpoint strike. Otherwise assured and made the saves required.
Kyle Walker – 8
England’s best player on the day. Sat on his haunches early on as his foot gave way to the terrible turf underneath in Frankfurt, but that didn’t defy him as he caught Victor Kristiansen off-guard and via a deflection found Harry Kane for the first goal. Continued to be a consistent source on the front foot until the end.
John Stones – 6
A slightly tetchier performance than Sunday from the Man City defender but he, largely, kept Rasmus Hojlund quiet throughout.
Marc Guehi – 6
Another largely assured display from the Crystal Palace captain, until the end when he lost possession cheaply – but recovered well to deny Alexander Bah a shot at goal.
Kieran Trippier – 6
A typically solid performance, though England miss a quick, surging outlet down the left-hand side in a similar vein to Walker on the right. But for what Trippier offers, he remains an adequate stand-in for Luke Shaw.
Declan Rice – 5
A misplaced pass to Guehi which went out for a corner rather summed up the midfielder’s afternoon. There’s little alternative in his position, and he covered plenty of ground as usual, but gave the ball away cheaply at times.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5
Two games in, the TAA midfield experiment has not worked. A few heavy touches early on and next to nothing in terms of creativity. Hooked just after half-time, it’d be a surprise if he started against Slovenia.
Bukayo Saka – 6
Showed flashes, but it was more neat and tidy from the Arsenal winger as opposed to the end product of the first match. Notable, too, that he was substituted on 70 minutes.
Jude Bellingham – 6
Given his talismanic performance against Serbia, a strangely uninfluential day for England’s No 10 in Frankfurt. Kept looking for the ball until the end and set up Watkins well late on, but a day of frustration for Bellingham.
Phil Foden - 7
Livelier than his anonymous opening game performance. Lovely footwork carved out a chance single-handedly early on but the Premier League player of the season skewed his shot wide. Similarly danced through the Danish midfield just before half-time but shot weakly, when he should have played in Kane, and hit the post in the second-half. Much better.
Harry Kane – 6
Off the mark at Euro 2024 with a typically cool finish from the break of the ball in the box - goal No 64 for the Three Lions - but did give the ball away very cheaply in his own half, with Denmark equalising seconds later. Other than his goal, again struggled to get into the game and nothing said that more than the skipper being substituted with 20 minutes to go.
Substitutes:
Conor Gallagher – 5
Booked soon after coming on for a rash challenge and didn’t seem up to speed at times.
Ollie Watkins – 7
Brilliant run in behind early on; pace which should be utilised more going forward.
Eberechi Eze – 5
No significant impact at all after his 70th minute introduction.
Jarrod Bowen – 6
A tad more involved than Eze, but didn’t quite have the time to link up effectively with Walker down the right.
DENMARK (3-5-2)
Kasper Schmeichel -7
Joachim Andersen – 7
Jannik Vestergaard – 6
Andreas Christensen – 7
Joakim Maehle – 5
Morten Hjulmand – 8
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7
Victor Kristiansen – 5
Christian Eriksen – 7
Jonas Wind – 6
Rasmus Hojlund – 6
Substitutes:
Mikkel Damsgaard – 6
Alexander Bah – 5
Yussuf Poulsen – 6
Christian Norgaard – N/A
Andreas Skov Olsen – N/A
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