Euro 2020

ENGLAND hero Raheem Sterling has been branded ‘world class’ and described as the team’s ‘most effective player’.The 26-year-old put in another tremendous display for Gareth Southgate’s side in their 4-0 victory against Ukraine at Euro 2020.
Raheem Sterling, 26, has been in excellent form for England at Euro 2020Credit: Getty
Speaking after England’s quarter-final win, BBC Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard were full of praise for Sterling.
Ex-Chelsea manager Lampard said: “He’s excellent, I love him as a player.
“He’s had a dip in form, and he’ll admit that, but what we’re seeing now is the player we’ve seen for the last three years.
“If I’m talking to a young, wannabe winger now who wants to play, he’s an example on the pitch and off the pitch.
“He’s had tough times, but now he’s coming through it and he looks like a man.
“He’s just a world-class player.”

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Sterling has enjoyed an impressive five seasons under Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, scoring 72 goals in 164 Premier League appearances.
During that time he’s won three Prem titles at the Etihad and played in a Champions League final.
Sterling’s been arguably England’s best player at the Euros, scoring three goals and picking up Uefa’s Star of the Match award in the win against Croatia.
Former Manchester United skipper Ferdinand added: “He’s undoubtedly been our best player at this tournament, our most effective player.

“There’s a steeliness about him, he mentioned in that VT [before the game] there that he’s had criticism during his career, he’s always answered the criticism.
“He’s very single-minded, he’s focused, he thinks about, not just the pitch, but there’s other things that come into play.
“The mentality, the understanding of what he needs to do off the pitch in terms of preparation and recovery, the detail he goes into to make sure he plays and performs at this level continuously.”
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England ace Raheem Sterling is favourite to win Player of the Tournament at Euro 2020 More

‘PROUD and emotional’ Peter Schmeichel delighted in seeing Denmark set up a Euro 2020 semi-final with England.Kasper Hjulmand’s side will travel to London to take on the Three Lions at Wembley on Wednesday night – knowing a spot in the final is up for grabs.
Denmark beat Czech Republic to book their place in the semi-finals where they face EnglandCredit: Reuters
Peter Schmeichel could not hide his joy as his nation delivered the goods in BakuCredit: Getty – Contributor
That is after Denmark beat Czech Republic 2-1 in Baku yesterday.
Thomas Delaney and Kasper Dolberg both found the net in the first half before Patrick Schick pulled one back for the Czechs.
And the full-time whistle sparked more celebrations among the Danish camp, who were rocked by Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest on the pitch just three weeks ago.
Schmeichel’s son Kasper, 34, has played a crucial role in the Danes’ run to the final four.
And the legendary Manchester United goalkeeper shared his joy on beIN Sports last night.
The 57-year-old said: “I have to say Kasper Hjulmand and his players keep impressing me and keep producing something out of the ordinary. My god, what a performance by this team.
“When you think that three weeks ago today these players watched a team-mate have a cardiac arrest on the pitch. They were all hurt by that.
“To reach the semi-final and to play so well, I’m just very, very proud. This is very emotional.

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“I won’t say it’s unexpected because I always knew this team were very good but you still need to produce the results and win and they have.
“The Danish defence led by Simon Kjaer my god, how good were they? I’m very proud to be Danish right now. I’m so happy. We’re in the semi-finals and it’s brilliant!”
Midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was also overwhelmed with emotion, breaking down in tears on the the pitch.
Manager Hjulmand said: “I am still thinking of Christian every single day. He should have been here.
“We are happy that he survived. We carry him all the way to this match and all the way to Wembley. I think about him all of the time.
“We are just happy and proud we can maybe just remind ourselves why we love football and what football can do in the world.”
Schmeichel Sr lifted the trophy at Euro 1992 and will be hoping Leicester goalkeeper Kasper follows in his footsteps 29 years later.
The team and the nation are inspired to do Eriksen proud as he watches on from home, continuing his recovery.
Kasper Schmeichel has been a pivotal character in the Denmark team both on and off the pitch at Euro 2020Credit: Getty

However, they must overcome an in-form England side who boast a 12-4 winning record against the Danes – although Eriksen sealed a 1-0 win at Wembley in their last meeting in October.
Reflecting after England stuffed Ukraine 4-0, SunSport columnist Jose Mourinho said: “It is going to be more difficult, as Denmark are much better than Ukraine, but England are strong and playing well and are confident.
“Denmark are solid and they have found a different way to play without Christian Eriksen. With Eriksen they played with four at the back and a No 10.
“But now they are playing three at the back and they have solid, good players in the best leagues with lots of experience.
“They are very positive, despite what happened, and look to be emotionally strong plus controlled and with a great team spirit.
“Tactically, they know what they are doing — they have found a way of playing football that is solid and effective.”
⚽ Follow ALL of the latest news and updates from Euro 2020 with our live blog
Kasper Dolberg scored what proved to be the winner just before half-timeCredit: Reuters
The Danish players, coaches and fans continue to hold Christian Eriksen in their thoughtsCredit: Reuters

Emotional moment Tottenham star Hojbjerg breaks down in tears after Denmark’s Euro 2020 win over Czech Republic More

ENGLAND star Declan Rice has joked ‘why always me’ after Harry Kane accidentally chocked him during a goal celebration.The team were celebrating their second goal against Ukraine in their Euro 2020 quarter-final when Rice was caught by his skipper.
Declan Rice, Harry Maguire and Harry Kane celebrate England’s second goalCredit: Getty
Captain Kane jumps on Rice and MaguireCredit: Getty
And gets the West Ham star in an accidental headlockCredit: TWITTER / BBC MOTD
Rice laughs once Kane’s grip loosensCredit: TWITTER / BBC MOTD

After Harry Maguire doubled England’s advantage, Rice was the first man to catch up with the Manchester United defender as he celebrated his goal.
Kane was next to the party, jumping on top of Maguire and Rice and accidentally putting the latter in a headlock.
The West Ham star was held by the captain for a few seconds before the adrenaline faded and Rice could smile again.
BBC Sport then shared a video of the hilarious incident on twitter – and the 22-year-old joined in the fun by quote tweeting it.
Rice joked: “Why always me?”
The England midfielder will be hoping Kane gets him in another celebratory headlock during the team’s semi-final against Denmark at Wembley.

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Gareth Southgate’s side will be full of confidence after hammering Ukraine 4-0, with Kane scoring a brace in Rome.
Rice has started every game at Euro 2020 and put in a stellar quarter-final performance, picking up a 7/10 rating from SunSport.
The former Republic of Ireland international has been linked with a move this summer and has reportedly rejected two contract offers from the Hammers.
Reports suggest Manchester United are interested in signing Rice after agreeing a fee with Borussia Dortmund for England winger Jadon Sancho.
And the youngster has been linked with Chelsea – the club he left in 2014 to join West Ham’s academy.
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Mason Mount loving life at Euro2020 with England pal Declan Rice but hates the early wake-up calls More

LUKE SHAW delivered two assists for England in the space of three minutes and 51 seconds at Euro 2020.And that was more than French legend Zinedine Zidane managed in 14 appearances at the European Championships.
Luke Shaw was back among the assists as England thrashed UkraineCredit: Getty
He now has more Euro assists than the legendary French star Zinedine ZidaneCredit: PA:Empics Sport
Shaw set up the second goal for Harry Maguire before crossing for Harry Kane to make it 3-0 in the 4-0 win over Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
Told about his achievement of overtaking Zidane’s contributions at a Euro, Shaw, who has the second most assists at the tournament, said: “A very strange stat! A nice one, I think.
“Obviously, Zidane was one of the best midfielders ever and I can’t compare to him.
“But the most important thing for me was reaching the semi-final, getting another game at Wembley in front of our own crowd and hopefully making them happy again.”
Shaw has been impressive for England and so far, has played a part in four goals. He is also thankful to boss Gareth Southgate for picking him, despite not being involved in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
He said: “My main objective is to help the team as much as possible, attacking and defensively.
“Of course, I could go through a lot of people to thank but I think the most important one is obviously Gareth for trusting me and putting me in the squad and picking me and playing me.
“But I’ve kept my head down, kept working hard and hopefully I can keep this responsibility up for the manager.”

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England have now not conceded a goal for over 11 hours, spanning more than seven games dating back to a 2-1 win over Poland on March 31.
Shaw said:  “Our foundation is obviously keeping clean sheets and not just the defence.
“I think you can see it from the whole team. Everyone puts in the hard graft.
“Of course, we want to create our own history and I think we need everyone to be defensively solid.

“But I think with the attacking talent we’ve got, we know we’re going to create chances and score goals.”
Shaw also had words of praise for Jordan Pickford who has impressed throughout the tournament, although Saturday’s win in Rome was straightforward for the keeper.
Shaw added: “We don’t want to lose concentration now. I think the concentration in the defence has been unbelievable and of course that starts with Pickers.
“Pickers has been outstanding, for me. He’s been unbelievable, one of our best players this tournament.”
⚽ Follow ALL of the latest news and updates from Euro 2020 with our live blog More

BORIS JOHNSON urged England to ‘bring it home’ as celebrities across the UK joined the Euro 2020 party.Gareth Southgate’s men booked their spot in the semi-finals with a crushing 4-0 win over Ukraine on Saturday night.
England reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals with a big win over Ukraine as the nation reacted with pure joyCredit: AFP
An outstanding performance by @England tonight.We’re all behind you for the semi-finals, bring it home 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 3, 2021

Another top team performance and clean sheet from @England tonight. #ThreeLions. Well played to Ukraine. Can’t wait for Wednesdays semi final! Onwards 🤜 W— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 3, 2021

What a magnificent performance and result @England Be very very proud lads. Well done Gareth. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#EURO2020 #ENGUKR— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) July 3, 2021

The nation reacted with pure joy as England’s heroes prepared to return to Wembley for Wednesday’s semi-final against Denmark following their big night in Rome.
The Prime Minister led the tributes to England on Saturday night, tweeting: “An outstanding performance by @England tonight.
“We’re all behind you for the semi-finals, bring it home.”
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and president of the FA, wrote: “Another top team performance and clean sheet from England tonight.
“Well played to Ukraine. Can’t wait for Wednesdays semi final!”
Former England striker Alan Shearer added: “What a magnificent performance and result @England.
“Be very very proud lads. Well done Gareth.”
Piers Morgan tried and failed to keep his emotions in check, writing: “I’m trying to stay calm. I’m failing. It’s coming home.”

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It’s coming home— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) July 3, 2021

If we where whispering it after the Germany game, it’s now up to a murmur… ‘it’s coming home’— Jack Whitehall (@jackwhitehall) July 3, 2021

Brilliant superb fantastic 😊🥳⚽️😂🤣 and most of all unbelievable. Oh what a night 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🍻 might have to have another beer before bed 👴🏽— Chris Kamara (@chris_kammy) July 3, 2021

Oasis legend Liam Gallagher echoed Piers’ sentiment, simply tweeting: “It’s coming home.”
Comedian Jack Whitehall wrote: “If we were whispering it after the Germany game, it’s now up to a murmur… ‘it’s coming home’.”
Chris Kamara reacted in trademark manner, saying: “Brilliant superb fantastic and most of all unbelievable.
“Oh what a night – might have to have another beer before bed.”
Ant and Dec added: “Oh boy. Hard not to get carried away innit!?”
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Gareth Southgate tells England fans to ‘party hard’ after sealing semi-final vs Denmark More

ENGLAND booked their spot in the Euro 2020 semi-finals with an emphatic 4-0 win over Ukraine.The Three Lions were virtually flawless throughout the 90 minutes in Rome.
Gareth Southgate orchestrated the victory with Harry Kane grabbing two vital goalsCredit: AFP
England cruised past Ukraine to qualify for the Euro 2020 semi-finalsCredit: Getty
Harry Kane scored twice while Harry Maguire’s header and a first international goal for Jordan Henderson wrapped up the victory.
Attention turns to Wednesday night’s final-four clash against Denmark back at Wembley.
But first SunSport looks back on five key moments from last night…
STARTING SANCHO
It has not been a bad week for Jadon Sancho – sealing a £73million transfer to Manchester United and then getting his first Euros start.
The winger, 21, had only featured once in the tournament so far – a six-minute cameo against Czech Republic – but was given the nod by Gareth Southgate against Ukraine with Raheem Sterling on the other wing.
And he justified the selection with a stellar performance across the 90 minutes with Rio Ferdinand labelling him ‘unplayable’.
The BBC pundit added: “He dances past guys like he’s on the dancefloor. He mesmerises defenders, he’s got a confidence and balance that is very rarely seen.”
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Jadon Sancho proved why he deserved his starting spot with a fine performance in RomeCredit: Getty

HARRY IN A HURRY
Skipper Kane was coming in for flack during the group stages but got his first goal of the tournament to seal the win over Germany.
Fast forward four days and he is lauded as the best striker in the world again with two goals – the first coming four minutes in to settle the nerves and take full control of the match.
He got his second when he headed in Luke Shaw’s inch-perfect cross through the goalkeeper’s legs.
And the Spurs star came within a whisker of an incredible perfect hat-trick when his sweetly-struck left-foot volley was tipped past the post.
He is now up to nine major tournament goals for England, one behind Gary Lineker’s record, and a few more could help fire his nation even further at this one.

Kane took less than four minutes to break the deadlock with a neat finishCredit: AFP

MAG OF THE NET
Having not played much football after recovering from an ankle injury, being on a yellow card and not exactly up against the toughest strikers in the tournament, it would have been easy for Southgate to rest Maguire.
But the boss reverted to the back four of Kyle Walker, John Stones, Maguire and Shaw – and they kept another clean sheet, spending another 90 minutes together at the back.
Then to top it off, just as he did three years ago against Sweden, the towering centre-back thumped in a bullet header to help send England through.
Sat in the stands at the last Euros, the Manchester United captain sent his supporters inside the stadium and millions watching on back home wild with the goal coming right at the beginning of the second half.
Harry Maguire was utterly delighted to score the second goal just after half-timeCredit: PA
RICE AND PHILLIPS RISK
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips have become one of the standout midfield pairings of this Euros, helping to protect their defence and bossing things in the engine room.
But with both one yellow card away from a semi-final suspension, there was talk one – or both – may sit this one out to ensure they could be available to face Denmark.
Southgate showed his trust in them, though, and they repaid him with mature, commanding, sensible performances.
As expected, the West Ham and Leeds stars were withdrawn early with Henderson and Jude Bellingham coming on.
Kalvin Phillips, No14, and Declan Rice, No4, keep their places in the starting XICredit: PA

JACK HELD BACK
Jack Grealish came on and changed the game against Germany with a pre-assist and then an assist in the 2-0 win.
But despite calls for him to start against Ukraine, Southgate decided to go for the more direct, pacey options with Sancho and Sterling.
And with the game wrapped up early, there was no need for the Aston Villa captain so the manager could save his legs, keeping him fresh to face the inspired Danes on Wednesday.
⚽Get ALL of the latest England news and updates from Euro 2020
Jack Grealish was an unused substitute against Ukraine but will be raring to go against DenmarkCredit: Getty

England beat Ukraine 4-0 in amazing Euro 2020 quarter-final More

ENGLAND fans have joked that Gareth Southgate predicted the Euro 2020 semi-final clash against Denmark NINE YEARS ago.The Three Lions booked their place in the semis to take on the Danes by beating Ukraine 4-0 in Rome on Saturday.
For those keeping the faith Denmark v England itv1 7.pm— Gareth Southgate (@GarethSouthgate) February 9, 2011

Gareth Southgate has taken England a long way since the 2011 friendly against Denmark
Southgate was delighted to qualify for his third semi-final in as many years as England manager.
And fans have rediscovered a Southgate tweet about a 2011 friendly against Denmark.
Working for ITV as a pundit at the time, Southgate wrote: “For those keeping the faith Denmark v England itv1 7 p.m.”
England won 2-1 in Copenhagen with goals from Darren Bent and Ashley Young, and it came just months after the embarrassing World Cup defeat to Germany in South Africa.
Now supporters are joking that Southgate predicted the future, with England’s semi against Denmark on ITV on Wednesday, suggesting there is nothing the England boss cannot do.
After the Ukraine win one fan wrote: “Lead England to beat Germany in a tournament for first time since 1966, and he can tell the future. What can’t he do.”
Another added: “Visionary stuff.”

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Lead England to beat Germany in a tournament for first time since 1966, and he can tell the future. What can’t he do 😍😍— ADAM 🇬🇧🇮🇱 (@ALB5399) July 3, 2021

‘Twitter for Blackberry.’ Unreal. Ahead of the game.— FK ☕️ (@fkhanage) July 3, 2021

There is clearly a Southgate love-in at the moment, with one supporter saying: “Gareth sees everything.”
Now, if Southgate can predict the Denmark result ahead of time he could save us all a lot of stress.
But in typical Southgate style he is remaining grounded and sensible, though maybe his advice for fans to “party hard” after the quarter-final victory is a hint that football is in fact coming home.
Gareth sees everything.— jordyn (@jordynrosehtafc) July 3, 2021

visionary stuff👏👏— Abdalla (@Abdalla10548176) July 3, 2021

Rassss my guy saw the future— Dani🇵🇸 (@dxnii50) July 3, 2021

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Gareth Southgate tells England fans to ‘party hard’ after sealing semi-final vs Denmark More