BERLIN: England claimed top spot in Group C despite being held to a goalless stalemate by stubborn Slovenia while Denmark finished in second after sharing the spoils with eliminated Serbia in the last round of group play on Tuesday.
Slovenia started highly motivated into the encounter knowing that at least one point would see them advance into the knockout stage whereas the Three Lions were already through.
Benjamin Sesko created the first clearcut opportunity after testing England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a header from close range in the fifth minute.
England sparked to life midway through the first half and thought it had broken the deadlock but for all that Bukayo Saka’s goal was ruled offside.
Harry Kane posed threat in the closing stage of the first half after heading narrowly wide following Kieran Trippier’s dangerous cross into the box.
After the break, chances were at premium as England controlled possession without doing damage to Slovenia’s well-positioned defence.
Slovenia’s defence kept England on the distance and secured one point to keep its Euro campaign alive.
“We wanted to complete the group stage atop the standings and to be in control of our own destiny. It was a tough match, but we improved a bit compared to our last game. We controlled the ball but failed to finish the job in the final third,” said Kane.
England coach Gareth Southgate added: “We were the better team and dominated. We had several chances to win the game but me missed the final pass.”
In the other Group C clash, Denmark couldn’t break the deadlock against Serbia, but the goalless draw was enough for the Danes to reach the knockout stage as runner-up.
With the results, England tops the group with five points, followed by Denmark, Slovenia (both 3 points) and Serbia (2 points).
The top two of each of the six groups and the best four third finishers will enter the round-of-16 knockout stage. — BERNAMA-XINHUA
