England 2 Denmark 1 (AET) LIVE REACTION: Kane’s extra time goal ends 55-year wait as Three Lions into Euro 2020 final

TOP SPINA

Italy star Leonardo Spinazzola has been named the fastest player of Euro 2020 – with three England players in the top 15.

Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker are also among the tournament’s top speedsters.

But it is Roma full-back Spinazzola who takes the crown along with Hungary defender Loic Nego.

The pair have been clocked at a powerful 21 miles per hour during the Euros, edging them past some of the continent’s fastest footballers.

Kingsley Coman of France and Dutch winger Cody Gakpo came in just behind at 20.9mph.

STAND OFF

This is the chilling moment a knifeman armed with a 12-inch blade threatened England fans outside a London pub.

Two groups of youths were locked in a stand-off outside a pub just before last night’s Euro 2020 semi-final with Denmark.

One man wearing a face masks brandishes a terrifying Rambo knife as he approaches a group who back away on Abbey Road, North West London.

Another man with him wields a chair with a third man just behind as they face down six others.

Two of the rival group hold chairs over their heads to defend themselves just minutes before the England match kicked off.

Towards the end of the video England fans can be seen moving away from the pub as the armed group approach them.

A man filming the incident is heard saying: “Welcome to Kilburn, lads”

PHIL GOOD

Phil Foden’s insane skill had all of social media talking on Wednesday night.

The Man City star pulled off an unreal flick to team-mate Jack Grealish during the win over Denmark.

He came on for Mason Mount in extra-time at Wembley on Wednesday night.

And his wonderful flick to Grealish to set up a shot on goal got fans talking on Twitter.

One said: “Bro that Foden flick was unreal. He has way too much sauce for an England player.”

While another tweeted: “Y’all saw that flick by Foden??”

NO BIGGIE

England stars Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish were spotted doing their best Harry Maguire impressions after England reached the Euro 2020 final on Wednesday.

The pair were spotted chatting to family and friends at Wembley after the extra-time win over Denmark and the footage immediately drew comparisons with shots of Maguire from the World Cup in 2018.

Three Lions centre-back Maguire was caught in a now timeless shot after he nodded England’s opener in their 2-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden in 2018.

It’s a meme that has taken a life of its own since with millions of fans sharing the picture alongside their own versions of what Maguire might have been saying to the group of girls he was chatting to.

One of them was actually his fiancee Fern Hawkins but that didn’t stop most fans from chiming in with their own funny versions.

THAT’S VARCICAL

Arsene Wenger has blasted VAR for ‘letting the referee down’ during England’s 2-1 win over Denmark last night.

The Three Lions were awarded a penalty when Raheem Sterling went down in extra time with the score level at 1-1, with Harry Kane’s subsequent rebound proving to be the winner.

But Wenger, 71, felt that the contact on Sterling was too minimal to be a penalty.

He said on beIN Sports: “No penalty.

“And in a moment like that I believe that the VAR… I don’t understand why they don’t ask the referee to have a look at it and have a clear (look).

“In a moment like that it’s important that the referee is absolutely convinced it’s a penalty.

“It was not clear enough to say ‘yes it is’.

“At least he should have had a look on the screen, I don’t know why the VAR didn’t ask him to go.”

ROLL IT BACK

A petition has been launched to have England’s triumphant clash against Denmark REPLAYED.

Some fans were furious that Raheem Sterling was awarded a penalty after taking a tumble in the Euro 2020 semi-final clash.

And it was also revealed that in the build up to that penalty there were TWO balls on the pitch.

England have also being hit with three charges for Uefa, one being for a fan shining a laser in Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel’s eyes for the spot-kick.

The other two are for fans booing the Danish national anthem, and for fireworks being set off.

ITALY’S UNBEATEN RUN

This is what England have to overcome on Sunday…

SURVIVORS

Only four of England’s Euro 2020 heroes made the cut the last time England faced Italy three years ago.

Gareth Southgate and his men are currently the toast of the nation after securing a place in a final of a major tournament for the first time since 1966.

The Three Lions came from behind as Harry Kane’s extra time strike fired them to a 2-1 victory over Denmark in front of a raucous Wembley last night.

Now Southgate and his men are hoping to go all the way and lift the European Championship trophy when they return to the national stadium on Sunday.

Roberto Mancini’s Italy – who come into the game on the back of an astonishing 33-match unbeaten run – stand in the way of immortality for our England icons.

And the Three Lions will be hoping for better luck than the last time they took on the Azzurri at Wembley on March 27, 2018.

That night they were led to a frustrating 1-1 draw on home turf – and only four members of the current squad started it.

‘NEVER A PENALTY’

Jose Mourinho was stunned England were awarded the penalty that led to their winner against Denmark.

But despite his surprise at the decision, SunSport columnist Mourinho said the Three Lions more than deserved their historic victory.

The Special One told TalkSPORT: “It was never a penalty.

“The best team won. England deserved to win. England was fantastic but for me it was never a penalty.

“The best team won. England is a better team than Denmark.

“Denmark played the way I was expecting them to and they played until their limits.

“England were really really good and no doubt deserved to win that match. But for me it was never a penalty.

“And I think at this level – especially at this level – the semi-final of a Euros…

“I don’t understand really the referee’s decision and I understand even less the fact the VAR didn’t bring the ref to the screen or didn’t overturn the decision.

“For me it’s never a penalty. Not with [Jannik] Vestergaard or with the second defender.

“So as a football man I’m very happy England won, don’t get me wrong, and they deserved to win.

“But as a football man I’m disappointed the penalty was given.”

ITALY VS ENGLAND STATS

• Italy have never lost against England at a major tournament (W3 D1), winning 1-0 in EURO 1980, 2-1 at both the 1990 and 2014 World Cups, and drawing 0-0 before winning on penalties in EURO 2012.
• England have won just two of their last 14 meetings with Italy in all competitions (D5 L7), winning 2-0 in June 1997 and 2-1 in August 2013 – both in friendly matches. Indeed, England have won just one of their eight competitive meetings with Italy (D2 L5), 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in November 1977.
• This is the third major tournament (EURO/World Cup) final to be held at Wembley Stadium. The previous two were both won in extra time, with England beating Germany in the 1966 World Cup, and Germany beating Czech Republic in EURO 1996.
• Italy are unbeaten in their last 33 matches in all competitions (W27 D6), scoring 86 goals and conceding just 10 in this run. This is their longest unbeaten stretch of matches in the nation’s history.

SUB-LIME

Fans have been clamouring for Jack Grealish to see more action this summer at Euro 2020.

But the man himself is focused on just one thing – winning the tournament.

Wembley was abuzz with excitement when the Aston Villa ace came on in the 68th minute of last night’s 2-1 semi-final victory over Denmark.

But he lasted just 36 minutes on the pitch, before being sacrificed by Gareth Southgate for a more defensive option in Kieran Trippier.

Some players might have been miffed by such an incident.

Grealish, however, only cared about his team winning.

As reported by the Independent, Southgate went to Grealish to explain his decision at the final whistle.

But the midfielder, 25, replied: “Gaffer, it doesn’t matter. I’m not bothered. We’ve got to the final!”

ARISE SIR GAZ

Boris Johnson today hinted Gareth Southgate could get a knighthood if England win the historic Euros final.

The PM lavished praise on the England boss after he took the Three Lions to their first final in 55 years last night.

England beat Denmark 2-1 on Wednesday night in an historic victory as skipper Harry Kane scored the winner in extra time.

After a tense 90 minutes finished 1-1, Three Lions fans were forced to endure the familiar pain of extra time in a semi-final.

Twitter erupted with people calling for the England boss to get given a gong to celebrate getting so far.

And the PM was grilled over whether he agreed this morning.

He replied: “I obviously wouldn’t want to anticipate anything that the honours people may decide.

“But clearly I think Gareth Southgate has done an absolutely outstanding job.

“What seems so amazing to me is how he varies it, he mixes it up, and plays a different series of options depending on the match in question. So best of luck for Sunday.”

NO TRIPP UPS

Kieran Trippier says England learned three years of hard lessons to put together the performance that beat Denmark.

Trippier said: “We’ve learnt so much over the years, with the experiences we’ve had, we’ve been in two penalty shootouts since Russia, we’ve been to extra time.

“Going through that moment against Croatia was about learning.

“It’s all about experience and game management.

“Make no mistake, Denmark were very good, they’re a fantastic team.

“We’ve come a long way since the semi-final in Russia.

“We’ve got so many good players now, different players from back then. It’s about progressing, and I think we’ve made big steps since the World Cup.

“As you’ve seen from the start of the tournament to now, we give everything, we don’t stop, we don’t panic, we’re calm.

“We’ve shown that against Denmark. We stuck together and the togetherness in the team is incredible.”

LIONS CHARGED

England have been hit with three charges from Uefa from their 2-1 Euro 2020 semi-final victory against Denmark.

A laser pen was shone in Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel’s eyes just before Harry Kane took his penalty.

The Leicester man still managed to save the spot-kick before Kane tucked home the rebound.

Uefa have charged England for this, as well as for fans booing the Denmark national anthem and for ‘letting off fireworks’.

A statement from the football governing body added: “The case will be dealt with by the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) in due course.”

A financial penalty is the expected sanction.

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ITALY VS ENGLAND STATS

• This is Italy’s 10th major tournament final (6 World Cup, 4 EURO), with only Germany (14) having played in more among European nations. Italy won the European Championship in 1968, but have lost their subsequent two final appearances in the competition (2000 and 2012).
• This will be England’s first ever appearance in a European Championship final, and their first in the final of a major tournament since winning the 1966 World Cup. It’s the longest gap between major finals (World Cup/EUROs) for any European nation (55 years).
• England are the 13th different nation to feature in a European Championship final (counting Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic as one) – just three of the previous 12 lost their first ever final in the competition Yugoslavia (1960), Belgium (1980) and Portugal (2004)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

GREAL BRAVE

England boss Gareth Southgate has explained why he substituted Jack Grealish just 36 minutes after he came on against Denmark.

Just a minute after Harry Kane had scored from his rebounded penalty to make it 2-1, Grealish was hauled off for Kieran Trippier.

ITV pundit Gary Neville called it ’embarrassing’ to happen to a player.

His fellow Manchester United legend Roy Keane praised Southgate for having a ‘nasty streak’ to get results.

And now the Three Lions gaffer has explained his reasoning behind subbing off the Aston Villa playmaker.

The 50-year-old told talkSPORT: “Jack had a brilliant influence on the game.

“Denmark threw four forwards forward and we needed five [defenders] back.

“Raheem [Sterling] was such a threat that it was either going to be Phil [Foden] or Jack to get the solidity without the ball.

“We still needed to get that pressure up the pitch. We sank a little bit too deep for five minutes or so.

“We just needed to keep the ball and it took us five minutes to work that out. When we started to keep it, we were running the clock down with a lot less anxiety.”

DANE PAIN

Martin Braithwaite fumed ‘I have to be careful what I say’ when quizzed about England’s controversial penalty last night.

The Three Lions were awarded a spot kick during extra time against Denmark last night.

But replays showed that minimal contact was made on Raheem Sterling.

Harry Kane stepped up, burying the rebound after a superb Kasper Schmeichel save.

And the goal proved to be the winner, as England ran out 2-1 victors, booking their place in Sunday’s final against Italy.

While Three Lions fans have rejoiced, Denmark have been left wondering what might have been.

After the match, Barcelona forward Braithwaite, 30, said: “We have to swallow that.

“We are proud, but also incredibly disappointed in the way it happened.

“I don’t think it was entirely fair, but I have to be careful what I say.”

FOR MUM AND DAD

Gareth Southgate said his parents no longer have to suffer the pain of his Euro 96 heartache after masterminding England’s run to the final.

The England manager let out a huge roar in front of an adoring Wembley faithful after the semi-final win over Denmark.

Southgate’s Three Lions beat the Danes 2-1 after extra-time to reach the European Championship final for the first time ever.

It is 25 years on from one of Southgate’s lowest moments in his football career.

The ex-England defender missed the decisive penalty at the old Wembley in the semi-final against Germany.

England were captained on that day by Arsenal’s Tony Adams.

And Adams appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday to reveal what the win over Denmark meant to current boss Southgate.

Adams revealed: “I text him (Southgate) congratulations because I’m so proud to be his pal. He came back with a beautiful answer.

“He said: ‘Thank god my mum and dad don’t have to put up with all that pain any more’.

“He’s making a new path now for all these young players, some of them weren’t even born when he missed that penalty.”

JACK IT IN

Jack Grealish became just the third England substitute to be hauled off during a tournament match last night.

The first was at Euro 96 against Scotland.

Jamie Redknapp was thrown on by Terry Venables for Stuart Pearce at half-time.

But the Liverpool ace was then sacrificed with five minutes remaining for Sol Campbell.

A similar incident happened under Sven-Goran Eriksson a decade later at the World Cup in Germany.

Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon was brought on for David Beckham after 52 minutes against Portugal in the quarter-finals.

But ahead of a penalty shoot-out, Jamie Carragher replaced the winger with 119 minutes on the clock.

TICKETY BOO HOO

Tickets for England’s historic Euro 2020 final with Italy are being sold online by touts for up to £50,000.

Fans desperate to attend Sunday’s sold-out Wembley clash face being fleeced by tickets flogged on secondary ticketing websites.

A pair of Category 1 tickets on reselling site Ticombo costs £40,000 – with a £10,000 booking fee pushing the total price up to an eye-watering £50,000.

The tickets are advertised as a pair, with the cheapest single seat for the final advertised on the site for £3,400.

Another site, Live Football Tickets. is advertising tickets for as much as £15,600 – but also charges fans £4,680 in additional service fees.

The tickets in Wembley’s Bobby Moore Hospitality section are sold as a pair, with the overall cost a mind-boggling £40,560.

KANE YOU BELIEVE IT?!

Harry Kane has drawn level with Gary Lineker as England’s joint highest scorer at major tournaments.

The Tottenham striker fired the Three Lions to their first major final in 55 years at Wembley on Wednesday as he scored the rebound from his own missed penalty.

Raheem Sterling was caught in the penalty area with ref Danny Makkelie pointing to the spot.

Although it was soft, VAR did not see a clear and obvious error as their was contact and Kane stepped up.

The usually clinical hitman took a deep breath and hit a weak effort low to Kasper Schmeichel’s left and the Leicester goalie kept it out.

But the ball deflected back into Kane’s path and he slammed it in from close range to trigger glorious scenes inside the national stadium.

BALL OVER

Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand hit out at the penalty decision that saw England progress into the final of the European Championships.

Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions came from behind to win 2-1 after extra-time.

Raheem Sterling won a penalty in the 104th minute with captain Harry Kane initially missing the spot-kick but scoring the rebound.

But relays revealed Sterling came within inches of dribbling past an extra ball before bursting into the box and being fouled.

Referee Danny Makkelie either missed the incident or decided the second ball was not interfering with play as the attack continued.

Hjulmand said: “We’re just very disappointed that we were so close to the final

“We’re disappointed it was decided that way. It was a penalty that shouldn’t have been a penalty, and that annoys me right now.

“We’re disappointed, we’re very disappointed.

“It’s one thing to lose a game, that happens, but losing this way is just a disappointment, because these guys have fought a lot.

“It’s bitter; I think we have to digest this before we can describe these feelings, but it’s a bitter way to leave a tournament.”

BERLIN CALLING

Harry Kane almost signed on loan for German side Union Berlin in 2012, according to Nico Schafer.

Schafer was head of football at the now Bundesliga side between 2011-2016, and had an interest in the England captain.

The German believed Kane was the perfect man to bring the Union Berlin attack together.

In particular, Schafer was a fan of Kane’s strength but revealed the Tottenham star was not keen on the move.

Schafer told German outlet SportBild: “Kane would’ve built our attack together with Simon Terodde in the 2. Bundesliga.

“His strength in the air was noticeable. And he was a striker who went down very often. He would have been a very good fit for Union.

“Despite Union’s special relationship with English football, Kane wanted to stay in England.”