London (AFP)

Denmark and England neutralized each other (0-0) on Tuesday for the second day of Group A2 of the Nations League, after an unspectacular match.

This is the Danes' first point in this competition, after their 2-0 defeat against Belgium on Saturday, while the English had snatched a last-minute success in Iceland (1-0) on a penalty in the last minutes.

In the other match of this group, the Belgians made short work of the Icelanders (5-1).

After a hectic start to the week behind the scenes for the Three Lions, with the affair surrounding youngsters Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood who had not complied with confinement in Iceland to meet two young women, Gareth Southgate must have been happy to return quickly to the ground.

For this second match in three days, the coach had decided to innovate by experimenting with a very fashionable 3-4-3 pattern, offering their first selection to Wolverhampton defender Conor Coady and Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

But this is to say that the experience was inconclusive, the offensive animation of the English being non-existent in the first period and at best laborious in the second.

With a transparent Jadon Sancho in attack, a Harry Kane who fought but a little alone, the English desperately lacked a playmaker who only returned a quarter of an hour from the end with Jack Grealish, but without bringing the expected sparkle.

While the English attack is full of talent, Kane was still the main - not to say the only - threat, with a head slightly above (69th) and above all a great inspiration to take advantage of a hazardous exit from Kasper Schmeichel, unfortunately saved on his line from Nicolai Jorgensen (90 + 2).

Unstoppable in the qualifiers for Euro-2020 with 37 goals scored in eight matches, England is much less dashing in the Nations League since in its last five meetings, it has scored only twice, on penalty.

The 0-0 draw remains a favorable result before receiving Belgium in October, especially since the locals missed the boat when former Premier League resident Christian Eriksen, now at Inter Milan, sent in clouds his shot from the penalty spot, after a header from Yussuf Poulsen (81st).

Southgate will have at least enjoyed this fifth consecutive game without conceding a goal for his team, which was deprived of Harry Maguire, after his legal troubles in Greece, during his holidays.

© 2020 AFP