Raheem Sterling awarded contentious penalty in extra-time of England's Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark; Harry Kane had spot-kick saved but scored rebound to secure England's 2-1 win; Kasper Hjulmand unhappy over presence of second ball on pitch in build-up to penalty
Sunday 11 July 2021 21:03, UK
Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand admits he is bitter after England ended his battling side's Euro 2020 dream.
Harry Kane's extra-time winner sunk the Danes and earned England a 2-1 semi-final win at Wembley.
Kane scored after England were awarded a penalty by referee Danny Makkelie when Raheem Sterling went down under Joakim Maehle's challenge.
Kasper Schmeichel saved Kane's spot-kick - only for the striker to convert the rebound and send England through to a final with Italy on Sunday.
Hjulmand was unhappy there was a second ball on the pitch at the time of the foul but also insisted it was not a penalty.
He said: "It was a penalty which should not have been a penalty. 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."
Defeat marks the end of Denmark's campaign which started in horrific fashion when Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in their first game against Finland, which they lost 1-0.
The Inter Milan midfielder was revived on the pitch and is now out of hospital and Hjulmand revealed his pride in his staff and squad.
He said: "I can't describe how much I admire the technical staff behind these players, they have been through so much. We have two people from the staff who saved the life of one of our best players.
"We have been fighting like crazy and played good football and I am grateful for Denmark, the entire nation.
"We needed the empathy when that happened with Christian, we have been receiving a lot of love and support and it was amazing to feel. Unfortunately we did not get to the final but we will attack again and our future is full of hope and belief.
"These guys are outstanding and the whole nation can be proud, they are an amazing squad and they have done an amazing job. They have made Denmark proud."
Hjulmand also congratulated victorious England boss Gareth Southgate after his team reached their first major tournament final for 55 years.
He said: "I want to congratulate my colleague Gareth. I followed what the FA has done and how he works with the young players, gets involved and how he behaves with the values he has.
"How he represents and communicates is outstanding. Congratulations Gareth, you are doing a great job in a difficult job."
Danish journalist Carsten Werge on Sky Sports News:
"I haven't met one man or woman in Denmark that could see that as a penalty, that's for sure. Nobody could understand that it was a penalty and when I read the international papers, nobody - except maybe the English papers - said that.
"I have to say, Sterling is a fantastic player and a fantastic diver. You could see that gave them the penalty. It was a pity the game was settled because of that situation because I think England would have won in the end, they were the better team.
"But we didn't feel that the Dutch referee was doing his job in a decent way in that situation. You would feel the same if you were the team that lost on a penalty that wasn't a penalty. You would be a little bit angry as well. When I read the English papers this morning, it was not a big subject - but that's the way it is.
"We weren't satisfied. We don't like players to dive. We have some players in the Danish team as well that do it. But when I think back many years ago when I was covering the English league as a Danish commentator, I remember Jurgen Klinsmann - when he played for Tottenham - everyone was saying 'He's a diver!'. Now you have a lot of divers as well. Kane is also a very good diver. Maybe you have just adapted to the European way of playing football…"
Drink it in... England are in a major tournament final for the first time since 1966 after their extra-time win over Denmark at Wembley in the semi-final of Euro 2020.
Kate Burlaga is joined by Rob Dorsett, Pete Smith and Nick Wright to discuss a historic night, and whether this 'new England' side can go all the way against Italy on Sunday.
