England 1-1 Denmark: England miss chance to reach last 16 after frustrating draw in Frankfurt

England’s dreadful display was placed firmly in context by the fact manager Southgate, hardly known for hasty or rash changes, made four substitutions with more than 20 minutes left.

The England fans inside Frankfurt Arena also made their displeasure known, with several bursts of loud jeering well before the final whistle and a hostile send off at the end.

It is a long time since England looked as disorganised as they did here, especially in midfield where they were outpassed for long periods by Denmark, with veteran Christian Eriksen pulling the strings.

The central partnership of Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold looked horribly ill-at-ease and outmanoeuvred. This, presumably, will be the last time it is used.

Jude Bellingham, England’s great talisman and match-winner against Serbia, could not rescue them this time as even he looked jaded and unable to exert any influence as they struggled desperately.

England’s players were often seen complaining about the state of the playing surface, which did cut up early on, but there can be no cheap excuses when they perform as badly as this.

Once again, a goal subdued England rather than inspired them as they found themselves overrun and prone to far too many errors all over the pitch.

The old, nagging habit of going into retreat after going ahead returned. Serbia were not good enough to take advantage in England’s first game but Denmark were not passing up the invitation.

It was a surprise to see Kane substituted after 69 minutes with England seeking a winner while Foden, who was also replaced, had actually been the most threatening player on Southgate’s side.

England’s efforts were summed up by the extent of Southgate’s reshuffle. They are still up and running in Euro 2024 but even the most optimistic fan inside the Frankfurt Arena would accept this was nowhere near the standard required to make a serious impact here in Germany