England have reached an international tournament final for the first time in 55 years after beating Denmark in their Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley on Wednesday night. But the three lions have had to change and develop considerably over the years to even make such an achievement possible.
England had the mental strength to come back from a goal down after Mikkel Damsgaard gave the Danes the lead from a free kick. They had already survived a period of sustained Danish pressure before that, but shot back quickly to gain level.
But what was most impressive about England is how they calmly controlled the game and managed to see it quite comfortably after taking what turned out to be a decisive lead in extra time. This was something that beyond the pages of England, especially the “golden generation” in the 21st century, never seemed to be able to do and they always came under because of it.
Opta statistics highlight that England kept the ball for two minutes and 41 seconds at the end of the match, exhausted Denmark and prevented late counterattacks to force a penalty.
Fully controlled, Gareth Southgate’s team systematically moved the ball across the width of the pitch to collect 54 uninterrupted passes to close the game and retain its important lead.
2:41 to hold the ball by @England at the end of the semifinal against Denmark. ?
54 uninterrupted passes. Olé! # Euro2020 # ENG pic.twitter.com/S3Ufpc0rxT
– Analysts (@OptaAnalyst) July 8, 2021
Against Germany in the 16 years earlier, England had taken the lead, weathered a potential German storm and even clinically extended their advantage to make the final stages comfortable.
Think how it can be compared to the years that have passed, when England were often good enough to take the lead but lacked the tactical knowledge or composure to hold on to. Opponents would usually get the chance to build and build the pressure until the three lions could no longer endure.
England were knocked out in the group stage of Euro 2000, but it could have been so different if they had not squandered a 2-0 lead against Portugal in their opening game and a 2-1 advantage over Romania in their decisive final and lost – 2 on both occasions.
At the 2002 World Cup, England took the lead against Brazil in the quarter-finals, only to wither and let their opponents dominate the game and turn it around. Even when Ronaldinho was sent off and Brazil were forced to play half an hour with ten players, too many players performed in England.
England have been excluded from tournaments in the past because they could not lead / Tim de Waele / Getty Images
Two years later at the European Championships in 2004, England took an early lead against Portugal in the quarter-finals there. Wayne Rooney’s first half injury knocked the wind out of their sails, but they lacked the ability to hold the lead and see through it. A late equalizer from Helder Postiga forced extra time, while England then went behind and had to find their own late equalizer just to force penalties.
Already by 2018, a group that the current side has developed directly from, England could not hold on to a lead and get over the line when it really meant after Kieran Trippier’s free kick against Croatia had given them an incredible chance to reach the World Cup final.
Learning from these mistakes and developing things like tactical control and calm in pressured situations is something that England seems to have finally achieved. Now there will be one last chance to test these skills against Italy in the final on Sunday.
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