Denmark vs England Semi final Euro 8.7.2021

Twenty-five years after England’s last European Championship semi-final, which saw them infamously lose on penalties at Wembley, the ‘Three Lions’ are here again after thumping Ukraine 4-0 in the last round. Intriguingly, that was their first win by 3+ goals in a major tournament knockout match since 2002, when England beat Denmark 3-0 in their last competitive H2H win.

England has made defensive solidity the bedrock of their Euro 2020 run. They remain the only side yet to concede (W4, D1), while they’ve now gone seven matches overall without conceding a goal for the first time ever. That said, England has conceded an average of one first-half goal per match across their last four games vs sides ranked inside FIFA’s top ten (W1, D1, L2).

Denmark’s team spirit has shone through following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, as they continue to improve after battling through a tough quarter-final vs the Czech Republic. Captain Simon Kjær has said they are playing “with Christian Eriksen in our hearts”, and that’s propelled them into their first semi-final appearance since winning this competition in 1992. Having beaten England at Wembley as recently as October 2020, Denmark may feel mildly confident of an upset too, especially after scoring ten goals across their previous three matches (W3), and leading ‘to nil’ at HT in each of the last four.

Denmark has also netted six goals after the 75th minute across their last nine internationals, making them a constant threat. If any late goals see this clash reach a shootout – like both of these sides’ last respective Euro semis – then that may favor Denmark as they have a 50% success rate (W1, L1) in 12-yard duels at the Euros, compared to England’s 25% (W1, L3).

Players to watch: Harry Kane has registered three goals across England’s knockout matches, moving him one behind Gary Lineker’s national record of ten major international tournament goals. As for Denmark, Kasper Dolberg also has three Euro 2020 goals, all were scored during the knockout stage between the 25th and 50th minutes of play.

Hot stat: Denmark is unbeaten in the first halves across their last 17 outings (HT: W11, D6).