Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand was not pleased with the late penalty call as they lost to England in the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 on Wednesday.
As quoted by ESPN, Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand has bemoaned the late penalty decision that went against his side in the 2-1 extra-time defeat to England in the UEFA Euro 2020.
Denmark had taken the lead against England in the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 before captain Simon Kjaer scored an own goal to level things up for the Three Lions. While Gareth Southgate’s man ramped up the pressure, some heroic goalkeeping from Kasper Schmeichel forced the tie into extra time.
However, twelve minutes into the first half of the added time, Raheem Sterling went down inside the Denmark box under a challenge from Joakim Maehle. The referee straightaway pointed to the penalty spot, and the VAR upheld the decision after a lengthy check. However, the decision was rather contentious, considering that there appeared to be minimal contact between the two players.
Nonetheless, England made it count, even though they were quite fortuitous there as well, as Schmeichel saved Harry Kane’s penalty, but the rebound fell straight to him, and he made no mistake to score what would be the eventual winner.
?"I want to congratulate Gareth." #DEN manager Kasper Hjulmand was full of praise of the job Gareth Southgate has gone in the #ENG job pic.twitter.com/YDXvCqdQk7
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 8, 2021
Opening up on how the events transpired on the night, Denmark boss Hjulmand said: “We’re very, very disappointed, and it’s hard for me to talk about. Maybe it will [be] easier for me to say how I feel in a few days. 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,” he said.
Given the contentious nature of the decision, it is understandable why Hjulmand and the Denmark team will have felt hard done by the referee and the VAR. But there is no taking away from the monumental effort the Danes put in throughout the course of the tournament.
