JORDAN HENDERSON scored his first ever England goal to set up the ‘biggest game of his life’.
The midfielder replaced Declan Rice in the 57th minute of the Euro 2020 quarter-final and headed home to break his England duck just six minutes later as Gareth Southgate’s side romped to a 4-0 quarter-final win.
⚽ Follow ALL of the latest news and updates from Euro 2020 with our live blog
Mason Mount swung in a corner and Henderson leaped like a salmon to meet the ball seven yards out.
He headed it into the ground and it nestled in the left corner of the net.
The goal all but sealed England’s path to their first European semi-final since 1996 and the Liverpool captain was delighted.
He raced towards Mount and shook off John Stones’ attempt to celebrate with him before roaring towards the fans alongside an almighty fist pump.
Henderson was quickly smothered by his jubilant team-mates as the England fans in the stadium and at home went wild.
Now the Anfield skipper, who has played in two Champions League finals for the Reds as well as winning the Premier League and Club World Cup, reckons Wednesday’s clash with Denmark will be his biggest ever.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED
Speaking after England’s win, Henderson, 31, said: “It’s about time [for me to score] to be honest.
“It’s been a long time coming. Thankfully I managed to get on the scoresheet. I’m just delighted for the lads because the performance was fantastic.
“I always try to contribute how I can and concentrate on my job on the pitch. That’s all I can concentrate on, but of course, I would have liked to have scored more goals.
“But I can’t complain, I’m here, I’ve contributed and got on the scoresheet which is nice.
“It’s the best squad I’ve seen in terms of that in a tournament. It’s the biggest game of our lives on Wednesday to get into the final.
“We have always felt we are continuing to grow as a team and we feel we are ready to take the next step.”
Henderson had a chance to get off the mark in an England shirt during the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 warm-up friendly against Romania.
He took a penalty off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin only to miss the resulting kick.
But Henderson will have forgotten all about that after his strike in Rome.
Southgate’s men will play Denmark at Wembley next Wednesday.
And the winner will face Italy or Spain in the final on Sunday July 11 at the same stadium.
⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
