Soccer

Eberechi Eze insists England are not panicking despite drab Denmark draw

Gareth Southgate’s side missed the chance to seal top spot in Group C with a game to spare as they laboured to a 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.

Eberechi Eze came off the bench against Denmark
Eberechi Eze came off the bench against Denmark (Martin Rickett/PA)

Eberechi Eze insists England will keep calm and carry on at Euro 2024 after the team were jeered off the pitch following Thursday’s draw with Denmark.

Gareth Southgate’s side missed the chance to seal top spot in Group C with a game to spare as they laboured to a 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.

Harry Kane opened the scoring only for Morten Hjulmand to level before Denmark then controlled much of the contest, with a large number of England fans booing at full-time.

England winger Eberechi Eze made his tournament debut in Frankfurt (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)
England winger Eberechi Eze made his tournament debut in Frankfurt (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP) (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

Eze came off the bench to make his tournament debut as Southgate attempted to inject a freshness into his team in the second half.

Despite his lack of experience on the international stage, Eze called for calm heads before next week’s clash with Slovenia in Cologne.

“I’d say we’re staying calm, we know the potential we’ve got,” he said.

“We’re building, we’re getting towards the level that we know we can play at. Ultimately, we’ll stay calm, we’ve got four points and there’s more to improve. No stress, we’re not panicking.

England forward Ollie Watkins replaced Harry Kane during the draw against Denmark
England forward Ollie Watkins replaced Harry Kane during the draw against Denmark (Bradley Collyer/PA)

“Tournament football is a rollercoaster. This is my first one but that’s what they (Eze’s England team-mates) are all saying. As long as you stay calm and positive, you’ll be fine.

“We’re very calm. Of course, we wanted to get three points, we want to put in performances that we know we’re capable of but this is what happened at the last tournament and no one remembers it when you reach the latter stages.”

Eze also defended Kane after he came in for criticism for his own performance despite breaking the deadlock at Deutsche Bank Park, with the England skipper one of those sacrificed by Southgate in search of a winning goal.

“H is an incredible player, always does his job for the team,” added the Crystal Palace winger.

“You guys probably look too much into that kind of stuff but a player like him, you don’t really need to question him.

“You know he’s going to work for the team, he’s going to put in performances and score goals. That’s the type of player he is.”