Morten Hjulmand had to bear the blame against Slovenia.
Against England, the 24-year-old became a hero instead when Denmark secured a 1–1 draw.
Fighting spirit, determination, heart, hunger, everything was there today, said Kasper Schmeichel to TV4 after the match.
The Danish team suffered an unexpected point loss against Slovenia in the opening match (1–1). Morten Hjulmand was unfortunately the scapegoat, after a shot hit him and deceived the Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
But against England, the midfielder became a hero instead.
Hjulmand scored a fantastic goal when he equalised to 1–1 in the 34th minute. The midfielder unleashed a powerful long shot that found its way in via the post, and was unstoppable for the English goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford.
Hjulmand, who normally plays for Portuguese Sporting, was substituted in the 82nd minute and received warm applause and loud cheers from the Danish crowd.
The match ended 1–1, and the teams shared the points.
"Everything was there today"
Denmark created several chances and were closer to a decisive goal than England were. But despite that, the feeling in the team was not disappointment after the match, rather the opposite.
We're not disappointed, we're proud, said Schmeichel to TV4.
There will always be a hint of disappointment when you don't win a match, but this week we've talked a lot about what kind of team and what kind of identity we want, and we showed that out there today.
Subbed off Kane
England struggled offensively and, apart from the lead goal in the 18th minute, didn't get their attacking game going. Then, national team coach Gareth Southgate made a move that raised many eyebrows.
With 20 minutes left to play, he chose to substitute the entire front trio. Both Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka had to leave, as did star player Harry Kane, who scored the 1–0 goal.
In came Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, and Jarrod Bowen to get the English offensive machinery going. The trio has a total of 25 caps, compared to Saka, Foden, and Kane's 161.
Cole Palmer, who finished second in the Premier League's top scorer list with 22 goals, remained on the bench. The Chelsea player has yet to play in the European Championship.
Everything to play for
The result means that all teams in the group have a chance to win the group. After two rounds, England leads with four points. Denmark and Slovenia both have two points, and Serbia is last with one.
In the final round, Denmark will face Serbia, while England takes on Slovenia.
