England boss Gareth Southgate has hailed four unsung Three Lions players following an overwhelming 4-0 victory over Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals. After finishing fourth at the 2018 World Cup, England have reached the semi-finals in their second consecutive major tournament appearance in an emphatic fashion.
After breaking his European Championship curse last time out, Tottenham talisman Harry Kane notched up a brace at the Stadio Olimpico. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson added one apiece in England’s convincing win over Ukraine as they set up a semi-final showdown against Denmark at Wembley.
England head into their last-four encounter against the high-flying Danes as the only team yet to concede at Euro 2020 so far. Curiously, though, the Three Lions’ most eye-catching display of the tournament came on foreign soil, with each of their three group stage fixtures played at Wembley.
The entire English side had a memorable night in Rome, though instead of praising his star performers, Southgate went for the four substitutes during the post-match interview.
“The players have been fantastic,” Southgate told BBC as relayed by the Daily Express. “To play as well as they did in a game where there’s so much resting on it was really impressive.
“It’s a strange feeling. I’m actually, at this moment, thinking of the players that didn’t get on the pitch because the likes of Conor Coady, Ben Chilwell, Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale – they’re the ones that are making this team successful because the spirit of this group is phenomenal. Whoever comes in does the job.“
England’s pursuit of their first European Championship title has been painted with flying colors so far as they return to London for a crunch meeting with Denmark. Despite reeling off a string of underwhelming performances in the group stage, Southgate’s men seem to have picked up steam heading into the business end of the tournament.
With Kane peaking at the right time, and the backline led by John Stones and Harry Maguire continuing to impress, the Three Lions are warm favorites to go past Kasper Hjumland’s warriors.