England passed up the chance to progress to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 with a game to spare as they were pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Denmark in Frankfurt. 

Harry Kane's goal in the 18th minute had eased the early Three Lions nerves, only for Morten Hjulmand to take aim from distance and fire beyond Jordan Pickford. 

Yet bar the move for Kane's opener, England's performance was deeply lacklustre, and Gareth Southgate may well face scrutiny, even though the Three Lions remain in pole position in Group C.

Denmark, who looked the more likely to win it in the second half, sit second, ahead of Slovenia and Serbia, who drew in Thursday's earlier match.

There were calls for concern early on in the contest as Kyle Walker was the first to succumb to a choppy surface, taking a chunk out of the pitch as he went forward, requiring a change of footwear. 

Walker showed no signs of an injury, however, taking advantage of Victor Kristiansen's lapse in concentration to sprint clear before his deflected cross found Kane, who tucked away his 64th international goal. 

But as was the case against Serbia, Southgate's side failed to nail home their advantage, and this time they were punished as Hjulmand rifled home the 13th goal scored from outside the box at Euro 2024.

Denmark concluded the first half much the better team, with Joachim Andersen and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg going close to giving Kasper Hjulmand's team an advantage at the break.

England almost regained their advantage when Phil Foden was able to find space to send an effort towards Kasper Schmeichel's goal early in the second half, only for the post to come to the Danes' rescue. 

Southgate made a triple change in the 70th minute, and it almost proved fruitful when Ollie Watkins forced another save from Schmeichel.

But Denmark soon regained control, and Pickford was a spectator as Hojbjerg fired an effort from distance that narrowly evaded the far post, with the spoils ultimately shared.

England in strong position, but still far from convincing

Having arrived in Germany among the tournament favourites, England are still yet to show they have the potential to end their 58-year wait for an international honour. 

The Three Lions continued their run of having never won their opening two matches at a European Championship tournament, and a disjointed midfield remains a problem for Southgate, with Trent Alexander-Arnold once again replaced early in the second half by Conor Gallagher, and it appears crucial that balance is found sooner rather than later. 

It was another disappointing performance from Phil Foden, but he showed glimpses of his promise from central areas which will give the England boss another decision to navigate. 

Kane can take solace in becoming only the third player to score in four separate major tournaments for England, after Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, but he managed just 22 touches, though only one of those came in Denmark's box.

All eyes on Munich for Denmark 

Denmark will arguably be the more disappointed of the two sides, given they looked more likely to score late on.

Hjulmand's side outfought and outplayed England at times, but were unable to improve their record against the Three Lions and have now failed to beat them in their previous four meetings (D2 L2) at major tournaments.

But the Danes can take the positives from their performance, registering more shots (16 to 12) and more possession (51%) than their opponents, but the result is the most important statistic next Tuesday when they take on Serbia.

Denmark have now won just one of their last 10 group stage games at major international tournaments, beating Russia 4-1 on matchday three at Euro 2020.

Didier Deschamps says "everything is going in the right direction" when it comes to Kylian Mbappe's fitness.

Mbappe sustained a broken nose during France's 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, casting his participation in the rest of Les Bleus' Euro 2024 campaign into doubt.

However, in a positive move, the 25-year-old returned to light training, while wearing a protective bandage, on Wednesday.

And ahead of France's clash with the Netherlands, Deschamps was optimistic that his captain will be available.

"Everything is going in the right direction after this major shock he had, with the consequences, of course," Deschamps said on Thursday.

"Yesterday, as you could see, he was able to go out and do some activity. That will be the case tonight too.

"So it has evolved in the right direction. We'll do everything we can to ensure that he can be available tomorrow."

If he indeed does play in Leipzig, then Mbappe will have to wear a protective mask.

Deschamps added: "Kylian will be wearing a mask yes, you don't really need to know the details about this mask."

Antoine Griezmann joined Deschamps in offering a positive update.

"Kylian is doing very well, his nose has deflated a little. We will see until the last moment, depending on his feelings," Griezmann said.

Mbappe had four shots without scoring in their 1-0 win over Austria, taking his total to 18 attempts without scoring at the Euros, the most of any Frenchman since 1980. By contrast, at the World Cup he has scored 12 goals in 14 matches with a 31% shot conversion rate.

He will surely be extra eager to return to action given his record against the Dutch.

The Netherlands are Mbappe's favourite opponent – he has scored six goals in five matches against them, more than against any other side in his international career with France. In fact, his first ever goal for Les Bleus came against the Netherlands in August 2017.

Jack Draper earned the biggest win of his career, upsetting defending Queen's Club champion Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Thursday.

He followed up his first ATP tour title in Stuttgart with a statement win, beating the French Open winner 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

He did not lose a service game in a dominant display, though Alcaraz did not lose one in the opening set either, forcing a tie-break before his sloppiness allowed Draper to edge in front.

Despite Alcaraz bringing his usual threat, Draper got a vital break to make it 4-2 in the second set, rallying to see out a third victory against top-10 opposition.

Draper will play fifth seed Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals.

Data Debrief: Alcaraz sees streak snapped

Alcaraz had won eight consecutive matches coming into this meeting thanks to his victory at Roland Garros, but could not find a way past Draper.

The British number one impressed, especially in his serves, winning 76 per cent of his service points during the one hour 39 minute contest.

Jordan Pickford will become England's leading appearance maker at major international tournaments against Denmark at Euro 2024. 

The Everton goalkeeper will make his 21st appearance for the Three Lions at a major international competition in Frankfurt, surpassing Peter Shilton's record. 

Pickford made his debut for his country in 2017 in a draw with Germany at Wembley, and was included in Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. 

The 30-year-old has since established himself as England's number one, and has kept 10 clean sheets for his nation at major tournaments, the latest of which coming last Sunday against Serbia. 

Pickford enjoyed an excellent start to his Euro 2024, completing 25 of his 41 passes against Serbia with a pass accuracy of 61 per cent. 

Jannik Sinner survived a scare to reach the quarter-finals of the Halle Open after beating Fabian Marozsan on Thursday.

After having to go all the way in the opening round, Sinner was once again forced into a decider but eventually came out on top 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3.

It looked like it might be an easier match for Sinner after he took the first set, but Marozsan rallied in the second. The world number one was able to force a tie-break, but he could not get the better of the Hungarian's aggressive play.

Sinner did get a decisive break in the decider though, lunging to the net to get a vital point as he rushed into a 4-0 lead before holding out to reach the next round.

Data Debrief: Sinner stays in the hunt

Sinner is still chasing his first grass-court title, and looks like he will be pushed all the way to get one in Germany.

He has improved his record for the season to 35-3 after beating Marozsan in their first ATP meeting.

Luka Jovic's last-second header denied Slovenia a first-ever win at the Euros as Serbia snatched a 1-1 draw in Munich on Thursday.

It looked like the Dragons were going to hold out for a victory after Zan Karnicnik's strike, but Serbia's last push for an equaliser eventually proved fruitful.

After a bright start, Slovenia came closest to taking the lead when Timi Max Elsnik struck the post with a powerful shot before Benjamin Sesko lifted the rebound over the bar.

Aleksandar Mitrovic endured a frustrating game, being denied by two big saves from Jan Oblak either side of half-time after the goalkeeper had previously kept out Dusan Vlahovic's glancing header.

Karnicnik eventually took matters into his own hands, starting his run at right-back before switching it out to Elsnik, continuing his run to scuff a volley past Predrag Rajkovic from close range.

Mitrovic had the golden chance to equalise for Serbia just moments later, meeting a cross on the half-volley, but the slightest of touches from the Slovenia goalscorer sent his effort against the bar.

In the dying seconds of the game, Serbia won another corner, and this time, Jovic rose highest inside a crowded six-yard box to thump a header past Oblak for a valuable late equaliser in Group C. 

Data Debrief: Impact sub Jovic to the rescue

Jovic came off the bench in the 64th minute and only managed seven touches in the game. He will not care though, as the one that counted got the winner.

His goal is the latest result-altering goal in a Euros match of all-time (exlcuding extra time), with his equaliser timed at exactly 95 minutes.

Slovenia have scored six goals at the European Championships, with Karnicnik's strike their fourth against Serbia/Yugoslavia in the competition. Indeed, the Dragons have only ever taken the lead twice in a Euros game, and both times it has been against Serbia/Yugoslavia (also in 2000 in a 3-3 draw).

Bukayo Saka has said there is another level to come from England ahead of their Group C fixture against Denmark in Frankfurt. 

The Three Lions started their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over Serbia last Sunday, courtesy of Jude Bellingham's fourth international goal. 

But England supporters were left wanting more from their side at full-time, with Serbia controlling the game after the break and possibly unfortunate to not steal a point. 

Saka, who is featuring in his third major tournament for his country, played a huge role in Bellingham's opener, crossing the ball onto the head of the Real Madrid star.

Alongside Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Bellingham, the Arsenal attacker is part of an exciting plethora of attacking options for Gareth Southgate at the tournament, but he believes there is room for improvement ahead of their game with Denmark. 

"Yeah, a bit you could say that," Saka said if England's attacking display against Serbia was fluid. "You could say that for the goal, but I think there is a new level to come from us."

The 22-year-old was part of the England side who reached the final at Euro 2020 and started the game against Denmark in the semi-finals, which the Three Lions won 2-1 after extra-time at Wembley. 

"Denmark are a good team and provide a good challenge," Saka said. "We played them at the last Euros, and it went to extra-time, but we won in the end. 

"That was a very special night, a very special night."

England arrived in Germany as one of the favourites to win the competition after their displays at their last three major tournaments. 

Saka has become a mainstay under Southgate's tenure at the helm, and he believes the current squad looking to end England's 58-year wait for an international trophy is the best it has been. 

"I would like to say so. The experience also makes us better. A lot of us were there at that tournament and the World Cup as well. 

"We learned things from playing together which makes us better, so I would say so."

Ralf Ragnick insisted Austria will not change their tactics for Robert Lewandowski having missed Poland's opening Euro 2024 fixture against the Netherlands. 

The Barcelona striker, who is his nation's all-time top scorer with 82 goals, did not feature in their 2-1 defeat in Hamburg having picked up a thigh injury in a pre-tournament friendly against Turkiye. 

Despite his absence, both Ragnick and captain Marcel Sabitzer are preparing for the game with the assumption he will be on the pitch for Michal Probierz's side on Friday.

"It doesn't change our way of playing a lot, basically they will play the way they have been played. Lewandowski is the (main) player in Poland, everyone tries to pass to him, especially if they counter at speed," Rangnick told reporters.

"In Munich, I had the joy of playing together with him for one year, therefore I know his qualities," Sabitzer added on facing his former team-mate.

"I know he's an exceptional player but for us as a team, when it comes to tactics, nothing will change."

Austria, meanwhile, started their Group D campaign with a narrow defeat to tournament favourites France, and know a victory is a must to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive. 

"The team that wins tomorrow holds the good cards and has a good chance of going through to the next phase, so therefore it's a game you have to win, that's absolutely clear to us," Rangnick said.

Sabitzer said his side was ready for the pressure that comes with a must-win game, saying: "We already said to each other that we want to win the match tomorrow, and Poland the same to each other internally.

"I think if we change those things (from the France game) if we follow our principles and are intense, and if we bring all that on the pitch, then we have a good chance of winning tomorrow."

Ralf Rangnick insisted Austria will not change their tactics for Robert Lewandowski having missed Poland's opening Euro 2024 fixture against the Netherlands. 

The Barcelona striker, who is his nation's all-time top scorer with 82 goals, did not feature in their 2-1 defeat in Hamburg having picked up a thigh injury in a pre-tournament friendly against Turkiye. 

Despite his absence, both Rangnick and captain Marcel Sabitzer are preparing for the game with the assumption he will be on the pitch for Michal Probierz's side on Friday.

"It doesn't change our way of playing a lot, basically they will play the way they have been played. Lewandowski is the (main) player in Poland, everyone tries to pass to him, especially if they counter at speed," Rangnick told reporters.

"In Munich, I had the joy of playing together with him for one year, therefore I know his qualities," Sabitzer added on facing his former team-mate.

"I know he's an exceptional player but for us as a team, when it comes to tactics, nothing will change."

Austria, meanwhile, started their Group D campaign with a narrow defeat to tournament favourites France, and know a victory is a must to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive. 

"The team that wins tomorrow holds the good cards and has a good chance of going through to the next phase, so therefore it's a game you have to win, that's absolutely clear to us," Rangnick said.

Sabitzer said his side was ready for the pressure that comes with a must-win game, saying: "We already said to each other that we want to win the match tomorrow, and Poland the same to each other internally.

"I think if we change those things (from the France game) if we follow our principles and are intense, and if we bring all that on the pitch, then we have a good chance of winning tomorrow."

Roberto Martinez praised Portugal's resilience in their Euro 2024 opener against Czechia, and believes that will be key to beating a confident Turkiye side. 

For both, it was their rising stars who took centre stage during matchday one in Group F, as substitute Francisco Conceicao spared Selecao's blushes with an injury-time winner against Ivan Hasek's side. 

Earlier that day, it was Real Madrid's Arda Guler who helped Turkiye beat a tough Georgia display, scoring an exceptional goal to earn his nation their first opening day win at the tournament at the sixth attempt. 

Portugal came from a goal behind to ensure their victory, but decisions will be made on who starts up front, with Cristiano Ronaldo failing to score on his landmark European Championship appearance. 

The veteran forward has never scored against Turkey, despite playing three matches against them. Only against Albania has he ever played more matches (four) without finding the back of the net for his country. 

Martinez's side won a game from a losing position for the first time under his stewardship and is hopeful his squad can show the same personality against Turkiye in Dortmund.

"Today it's not about assessing this game from the technical or tactical point of view," said the head coach.

"We won because we showed resilience, willpower and belief. It's the first time we've come from behind to win [under my tenure]. We believed, we showed incredible personality.

"It's a game where we had 13 corners; the Czech Republic had none. If we scored early we could have won by three or four goals. The atmosphere was incredible. Our fans did not deserve to lose this game.

"Nuno Mendes in a back three? He has the physical attributes to play in a three-man defence. It's important to have symmetry in the middle block. The Czech Republic are a physical team. The important thing is not the starting eleven, but how the game ends. We showed we had prepared well."

Meanwhile, Turkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella celebrated his 50th birthday in style at the Westfalenstadion, 

While the Italian was keen to enjoy the moment of Turkiye's landmark success, his attention quickly turned to the task of facing Portugal, a side they have only won two of their nine matches against (L7), with their last triumph coming in an international friendly in 2012. 

"Our dreams were very much focused on this match," Montella told reporters following that game. "We managed to win [our first game of the tournament] for the first time, so there will be a lot of first times."

A victory would secure qualification to the knockout stages of the competition for Montella's side, and when asked about his chances against the Selcao's star-studded line-up he said: "Then more dreams will emerge."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Turkiye - Hakan Calhanoglu

While the praise for Turkiye's young stars was warranted, it overshadowed the impressive display of Calhanoglu at the heart of their midfield against Georgia.

The Inter man completed 88 passes against Georgia last time out, the most by a Türkiye player in a European Championship game, with a passing accuracy of 92.6 per cent. 

Portugal – Vitinha

Another midfield maestro had yet another impressive display in their Group F opener, with Vitinha completing more passes under high-intensity pressure (59) than any other player in the opening round of games at Euro 2024.

Only Toni Kroos (30) made more line-breaking passes than the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder on MD1 (21). 

MATCH PREDICTION – PORTUGAL WIN

While Selecao were not at their dazzling best in their Group F opener, they ultimately found a way to win, and that is what title-winning teams always manage to do. 

And Portugal has often got the better of their opponents when they have squared off at the European Championships. Portugal have won all three of their previous encounters in the tournament, without conceding a single goal.

Martinez's side are also the only team to reach the knockout stages of the Euros at each of the last seven editions, having only lost one of their last nine group stage games at the tournament (W4 D4), with that defeat coming against Germany in 2021. 

But Turkiye proved in their opener against Georgia they are not here just to take part, and will be looking to win their first two games at a major tournament for the first time in their history. 

Montella will be keen to continue his 50th birthday celebrations when he returns to Dortmund on Saturday, with the possibility of equalling their most victories in a single edition of the European Championship (two in 2008). They have only managed more at a major tournament in the 2002 World Cup (four).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Turkiye - 17.8%

Draw - 20.3%

Portugal - 62%

England captain Jos Buttler has praised Jonny Bairstow's "mature innings" after their impressive eight-wicket victory over West Indies at the T20 World Cup.

England successfully chased down their target of 181 with 15 balls to spare thanks to dominant batting from Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow.

Salt scored 87 not out, including a 30-run over, while Bairstow's 48 not out saw them over the line after losing two wickets to get off to a winning start in the Super 8s.

After mixed results in the group stage, Buttler was pleased with the commanding performance of his team, praising the batters for their smart display.

"That was a really good performance from us," Buttler said at the post-match presentation. "We planned really well. We've been practising well and executed both with the bat and ball and deserved to win.

"I thought we bowled really well to restrict such a powerful batting line-up, such great six-hitters especially. [It was a] decent score, and you had to play well to chase it down.

"I thought we were very smart with the bat. Guys were very calculated when they took their options on. The Bairstow and Salt partnership was so good. Jonny came in with great intent and took the momentum straight back. Salty tucked in behind him for a bit and when he got that one big over, he broke the back of it.

"[Bairstow] is a class player, he has been for a really long time. That's what we decided to do, you just keep backing class players.

"He hasn't had many opportunities but today was an incredibly impressive innings. A really mature, senior player's innings. With a lot of power, he scored at a great gear when the game was just in the balance.

"A lot of people say you learn when you lose, but I truly believe you learn when you win as well. [It is] important to reflect on what we did well today. We had a good performance, put that to bed and focus on the next performance."

England's opening game was washed out against Scotland before they lost to Australia in the second, but back-to-back wins against Oman and Namibia were enough for them to qualify for the Super 8s.

Salt, on the back of his best run-tally in the tournament so far, is confident England have found their footing as they prepare to face South Africa on Friday.

"Tournament cricket, in my experience, is all about having the confidence and momentum at the same time - and having a little bit of luck here and there," Salt said.

"If we can just keep building on that game by game, we'll be in a pretty good spot."

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin was proven right after labelling Xherdan Shaqiri as a "special player for special moments".

Shaqiri capitalised on a Scotland mistake to score a stunning equaliser, earning a 1-1 draw in their second game at the tournament to put Switzerland on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Indeed, Yakin was full of praise for his star man, who has now scored in each of the last six major tournaments going back to the 2014 World Cup, noting the difference he made to the side.

"He proved that he lives and breathes for moments such as these," Yakin told reporters. "He has shown that time and time again down the years, he really deserved that wonder goal.

"It was an unbelievably clinical strike. And that was the only thing you could have done in that situation because he intercepted the ball, and he had two opposition players closing him down, so he struck the ball at exactly the right time.

"We've still got one game to go, it's still very open. We'll do everything in our power to qualify, we want to make it out of the group.

"On these first two matches, we've shown that we are ready to battle. We haven't yet done the job, but we have taken a big step forward towards the knockout phase."

Scotland were looking to bounce back from a 5-1 thrashing against hosts Germany on the opening day but could not find a winner in the second half.

While they have kept themselves in contention for a place in the last 16, one major doubt to emerge from the game was Kieran Tierney, who was stretchered off in the 61st minute.

Steve Clarke did not know the extent of the injury, he admitted that it will definitely keep the defender out of their final group game against Hungary.

"It looks pretty bad. We have to assess it, but Kieran won't make the next game," Clarke said.

"You have to feel for Kieran, he's got himself in great shape, and he's a top player for us. It's a shame, but someone else has got to step up to the mark."

Speaking on the game itself, the Scotland boss said: "It was nice to see them. We didn't turn up in the first game. We're a good team when we play.

"We always knew that the points we require would come from these two games. We've got one point now. That means we have a chance going into the last game.

"I believe if we get those three points, we go to the next stage."