09:14
09:08
Italy will have an extra day of rest compared to the victors tonight. Roberto Mancini will want his players to use it wisely after a tough 120 minutes against Spain.
“First and foremost, we’re delighted to have been able to provide this wonderful evening’s entertainment to the Italian people,” the former Manchester City boss said.
“Now we still have one more game to go and we wanted to do exactly that if possible. We knew it was going to be a very tough match because in terms of ball possession Spain are the best around. They caused us problems. We had to dig in when we needed to. We tried to score or create opportunities when we could.
“It was a very open match and of course there were some issues because we did not have too much possession. However, we wanted to make it into the final and we kept trying right until the end.As ever, penalties are a lottery but I really want to take my hat off to Spain. They’re a wonderful team.”
08:53
I mainly want England to win the tournament so I never have to hear the question “is football coming home?” ever again. The reporter on BBC is just shouting at poor children asking the big question. Another reporter is forcing young kids to sing at a Danish school. Every cliche of news reporting is being ticked off this morning.
08:50
“Let’s face it, Wembley has always carried its own kind of voodoo, torn at times between the anti-energy of those midweek friendlies when the national stadium carries all the fierce, scalding passion of a night at the Ideal Home Exhibition and the quiet creep of hostility that was present during the tedious 0-0 against Scotland.”
08:41
The former Denmark coach Åge Hareide just told BBC Breakfast he wants the game to go to penalties tonight, thinking Kasper Schmeichel could be the hero for the Danes. You will be shocked to hear that David James is backing England to get through.
08:38
After all the talk, Harry Kane has called on England to make their point on the pitch as they look to reach the Euro 2020 final.
“It’s a chance to go out there and prove it, we can talk as much as we want but the bottom line is we have to go out there and perform,” said the striker. “We can go and be free, enjoy it, but have a real focus on trying to get through to the final.
“Whenever you are an England player stepping out into a major tournament every game is a high-pressure situation. I spoke after the Germany game about the pressure that was on us as a team to perform. We came through that well and, the further you go, we were expected to win the Ukraine game. But you still have to go out there and perform under that pressure. It’s part and parcel of major tournament football.
“A lot of us have been dealing with it at club level, Champions League finals, cup finals, so the squad is more experienced than what it was in 2018. It’s about performing on the matchdays, there’s a lot of talk going into this semi-final and it’s a chance for us to go one step further than we did in Russia in 2018.”
08:32
08:28
08:24
The morning news has been heavily focused on the England game tonight. Poor journalists turning up outside Wembley at 6am for a match that kicks off at 8pm. There is certainly no shortage of hype around and will be looking to add plenty.
08:18
Let’s start with last night …
Match report …
Mancini’s delight …
Barney Ronay on Italy’s grit …
And player ratings …
08:15
Good morning
The big day is finally here for England fans, as Denmark await tonight. Between now and then social media will be awash with claims of soccer returning to its abode and discussions about three or four at the back. How will we all maintain calm?
Whoever wins tonight will play Italy on Sunday, after they defeated Spain on penalties on Tuesday. What a night it was at Wembley. There was plenty to enjoy, from questionable goalkeeping to fine finishes. Few want a semi-final to be settled on penalties but it gave the dramatic ending the match merited.
Roberto Mancini will be watching closely tonight as he plots a trophy lift. Playing at home could be a great advantage for England who are yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
There should be plenty of reaction and previews to get our teeth into throughout the day.
