Welsh and Scottish viewers show three times where England’s winner shouldn’t have counted after their win against Denmark on Wednesday.
A penalty handed to the Three Lions was the subject of even greater controversy after it emerged that Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had a laser pen shone in his face.
It came after Raheem Sterling was accused of diving to win a spot kick in the first half of extra time at Wembley on Wednesday night.
Harry Kane’s penalty was saved by Schmeichel but the Tottenham striker got onto the ball quick for the rebound to put England 2-1 in front.
However, television footage later revealed that someone in the stands shone a green laser pen in Schmeichel’s face in the moments before Kane stepped up to take the penalty.
It is unclear at this stage if Schmeichel was aware, though he can be seen blinking as soon as the light goes into his eyes, however it was an unsavoury scene that drew condemnation from England fans on social media.
Absolutely shocking that this was allowed to happen! Someone used a laser pen on Kasper Schmeichel!!! pic.twitter.com/73goP3J00a
— Swansea Beat ⚽️ (@swanseabeat) July 7, 2021
Fans have also pointed out that there was also a second ball on the pitch when Sterling collected the ball at the start of the move.
Referees usually stop play in accordance with the laws of the game if there are two balls on the field, something we saw earlier in the same game, although can use their discretion and ignore if the ball is not interfering with play.
However, on this occasion the stray ball was in the vicinity of Sterling and the Denmark defenders and could conceivably be said to be causing a distraction.
What was peculiar about the incident is that no Denmark player appealed or tried to catch the attention of referee Danny Makkelie.
Then there was the decision to give a penalty itself, with many pundits saying it was a very soft call, despite even VAR, which has been superb throughout the tournament, see nothing wrong with the referee’s choice.
Sterling was quizzed on the penalty incident by broadcaster ITV after the game.
“I went into the box and he [Maehle] stuck his leg out and touched my leg, so it was a clear penalty,” Sterling insisted.
He added: “It was a top performance. We really had to dig in deep and it was the first time we have conceded this tournament. But we did that and won the game.
“We knew we had to stay patient. We knew with the legs and aggressiveness and power we could get it done. And we got the penalty in the end. It’s another step in the right direction. We have to focus on the weekend now.”
Sterling’s view of the penalty certainly wasn’t a universal one.
“I don’t think it’s a penalty… very, very soft,” was Roy Keane’s verdict on ITV and Gary Neville appeared to agree with him, saying: “If we’re being fair, you’d be absolutely devastated if you lost to a penalty like that.”
Peter Schmeichel said: “[The referee] made a really big mistake on the penalty. This will be debated for a long, long time. In a way, it’s a hard one to take because it’s not a penalty.”
Arsene Wenger agreed: “No penalty. I don’t understand why in situations like that the VAR, the referee doesn’t go and look on the screen. In a moment like that, he has to be absolutely sure.”
Player ratings (Sky Sports)
England: Pickford (7), Walker (6), Stones (6), Maguire (8), Shaw (6), Rice (7), Phillips (8), Saka (8), Mount (6), Sterling (8), Kane (8).
Subs used: Grealish (7), Foden (6), Henderson (7), Trippier (7).
Denmark: Schmeichel (8), Christensen (7), Kjaer (7), Vestergaard (8), Larsen (6),Hojbjerg (8), Delaney (6), Maehle (5), Braithwaite (7), Damsgaad (8), Dolberg (6).
Subs used: Poulsen (6), Wass (5), Norgaard (5), Andersen (6), Jensen (5), Wind (N/A).
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
WHAT SOUTHGATE SAID
“I’m so proud of the players. It’s an incredible occasion to be a part of, the fans were incredible all night.
“For our country… I’ve not heard the new Wembley like that, ever. To be able to share that with everybody is very special.”
“It was never going to be straightforward, the game the other night in Rome was, but we told the players that they would have to show resilience and come back from some setbacks, and we did that tonight,” Southgate added.
“I felt we would get over the line but knew we would have different sorts of battles. Denmark are so underrated as a team; they did cause us a lot of problems.
“When you have waited as long as we have to get through a semi-final the players – given the limited amount of international experience some of them have – have done an incredible job.
“The most pleasing thing is that we’ve given our fans and nation a fantastic night, and the journey carries on for another four days.
“For the team to come through this sort of a night, we suffered in Moscow on a night like this, we managed to put that right.”
SOUTHGATE ON ITALY
“I think Denmark had only lost four matches out of 30-odd games; Italy’s record is even better than that. They have been a top team for the last couple of years, we’ve followed their progress closely, we know the way they play, with great energy and style.
“They are, as always, difficult to score goals against, and without doubt deserve to be in the final, having beaten two top teams to get there in Belgium and Spain.
“So it’s the biggest possible test we can have. We have a day less to recover but we’ve got to prepare from now. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to take them on.”
Southgate added: “We’re in a final, we’ve got to enjoy that fact, but there is one more massive hurdle to try and conquer.
“Italy are a very good side, they have really shown outstanding form, have defensive warriors at the back, it’s going to be a great game to look forward to. We’ve had three memorable games on the bounce.
“We said we wanted to create memories for our nation, now we’ve got to finish the job. Finals are there to be won, we’ve got to regroup, repair and recover because tonight has taken a lot emotionally and physically.”
Viewers show three times where England’s winner shouldn’t have counted, here’s that reaction…
The amount of precision to shine a laser in Schmeichel’s eyes from the stands, have to respect the shithousery from the fans pic.twitter.com/1QU9mR1QmJ
— Football Shithousery (@FootyRustling) July 7, 2021
@JohnnyRichards: Oh come on, let’s congratulate England, they thoroughly deserved the win.
@mcj_urbn: They deserved, until they got penalty from nothing.
@TurloughADK: They need to replay the last fifteen minutes at 1-1, or, if the Danes don’t feel up to it, award the match to Denmark
@Nicscreamer: Ok, and can we replay the 1986 world cup match against Argentina too please? Maradona cheated. How about banning Immobile for his theatrics? It happens in football all the time. Deal with it, England WON!
@Aaronhughes_64: He saved the penalty
@CarlAndrews01: Maybe could have actually caught it if it wasnt for the laser cheat
@EthanALAW: Lad your acting like the laser pen, followed him all the way to the floor, when he saved it. Your just making excuses at this point
@KellyAlmond01: As a Barnsley & England fan, this is a dick move an whoever did it wants banning 😡 we don’t want to win by playing dirty tricks like this and I’m sure our team would be ashamed of the fans doing this!
@jackrad59492733: Cry more
@S1m0n_d:
1. The ball didn’t interfere with the play
2. Kane should have had a penalty prior to the incident
3. the laser shouldn’t have happened but dint affect the keeper otherwise he would have flinched
4. For Denmarks goal should never have been a free-kick
Eng was the better team.
@Syncedify: still saved it tbf
@rodders21085: Well shit, i hope they kept the details of every other match in Europe this happens in so we can shame them too 😀. It’s amazing how offended everyone is that England have gone through and how much they’re praying we lose.
Reaction continued as viewers show three times where England’s winner shouldn’t have counted…
@robertburke84: I’m going to go out on a limb and say if I was old enough to have witnessed Maradona’s hand of god goal, not many Irish people would have been standing around eulogising about the principles of fair play. You win some, you lose some. Congrats to England. A long time coming.
@jdnwils: Laser pens and dives I really don’t give a shite! We’ve had hand of God’s, goals a foot over the line, Ronaldo winks and Diego Simeone… What I do know is football’s coming home.
@christofflennon: So what *if* it was a soft penalty. Who cares? Lampard’s strike v Germany in 2010 was clearly over the line. Sol Campbell’s goals in 98 and 04 were inexplicably ruled out. Maradona and the Hand of God. About time we got the rub of the green for once… #ItsComingHome
@FtblReuben:
1. the ball quite clearly isn’t interfering with play, it’s behind the actual ball and no player is focused on it
2. yes it was a dive but we should have had a penalty earlier in the game so it balances it out
3. goalkeepers rarely catch the ball on a penalty
@moan_sonny: Careful mate you’re making too much sense
@Matthew_Debney: Don’t care. It’s coming home.
@_Jack_Wad_: Does it matter? The man dived the right way and saved it, and it wouldn’t have stopped the rebound being scored. Granted it shouldn’t have happened, but it’s made no difference to how the penalty went
@FPL_Morty: Whoever did this is a top tier knob. Gives England fans such a bad name
@MarcusXSteele: This is absolutely disgusting behaviour. C’mon Italy
— Altan UpOnly (@cryptoreprobate) July 7, 2021
Soft pen, two balls on the pitch, lazer at the keeper. Only got one thing to say. It’s coming home pic.twitter.com/c1OTeBk0f5
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) July 8, 2021
two balls on the pitch but play was never stopped …. i actually can’t believe their luck uno pic.twitter.com/VFOaTMtJH1
— charlie 😜 (@xchvrlie) July 7, 2021
Sprinting with the ball, right knee knocked from the side followed by a body check at the hip on the left. Why am I seeing people liken a VAR checked penalty to hand of god? Cry more please 🏴 xo pic.twitter.com/8iqhYohZcd
— BC (@its_bethc) July 7, 2021
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