Tom Daley’s got some competition.
Despite diving not officially starting until the Olympics, it seems the England squad want to conquer the springboard too. In a landmark victory, England beat Denmark 2-1 and firmly solidified the idea that it’s coming home. However, nothing is for certain yet, as they now face Italy in the finals on Sunday. Harry Kane’s penalty has been disputed by many online, with many viewers accusing the team of outright cheating.
England fans even it comes to diving for penalty’s pic.twitter.com/nMCNxl78jc
— Mark Corcoran (@_Markcorcoran) July 7, 2021
As Raheem Sterling hit the ground, VAR did confirm that Jensen made contact with the winger moments before he hit the ground. Gary Neville and Chris Waddle did suggest the penalty was questionable, as did many people watching at home. If fans were completely candid, they could admit that it was questionable. However, there’s a reason we are not all professional pundits and referees, so you have to go by the latter’s decision.
Iconic manager Jose Mourinho also questioned the penalty, going as far as to say that referee Danny Makkelie ‘wouldn’t sleep well after his decision.
“Yes, amazing game, but I’m not sure you want to listen to my opinion,” he said to talkSPORT.
“I say the way I see it, not the way it is. Maybe you don’t like my opinion this time….
“It’s never a penalty. The best team won, England deserve to win. England was fantastic, but for me it’s never a penalty.”
“The best team won, England are a better team than Denmark. Denmark played the way I was expecting them to play on to their limits.
“England was really, really good and no doubt they deserved to win that match.
“But, for me, it’s never a penalty. At this level, a semi-final of a Euro I don’t understand really the referee’s decision.”
The penalty is undeniably questionable, but it certainly worked in our favour in a high-stakes tournament like this.
“It was NEVER a penalty!” ❌
“Especially at this level, the semi-final of a Euro. I don’t understand the decision.”
José Mourinho says England should NOT have been given their penalty v Denmark. pic.twitter.com/MKiEYk6K12
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 7, 2021
“VAR was brought in to rectify these decisions and change blatant mistakes by the referee. This is as blatant a mistake as you will see. This is a European Championship semi-final, I feel sorry for the Danes. I think there’s every chance it would have gone to penalties, and we would have all thought they might have the advantage with Schmeichel in goal,” said former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann on RTE.
The equalising goal was an own goal, and then the winning goal has been one called into question. Though England’s victory is a joy for the nation, it has called into question the ethics of the three lions. Is it really worth bringing home if we do it by behaving like lads in a school tournament?
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