Gareth Southgate delight as resilient England banish memories of Moscow
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was beaten for the first time in the tournament when Mikkel Damsgaard converted a stunning 30-yard free-kick.
That left Three Lions supporters fearing the worst – another major tournament semi-final disappointment to go alongside the loss Southgate’s men suffered against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.
But Denmark captain Simon Kjaer put through his own net under pressure from Raheem Sterling before half-time and, although mounting England pressure could not settle matters inside 90 minutes, the Manchester City forward won an extra-time penalty.
Kasper Schmeichel saved Harry Kane’s spot-kick but the England skipper converted the rebound top send his country into their first major final since 1966.
“I’m so proud of the players. It’s an incredible occasion to be a part of, the fans were incredible all night,” Southgate told ITV.
“We told the players that they would have to show resilience and come back from some setbacks, and we did that.
