London (AFP)

Huge throughout the match by multiplying the parries, even on the penalty finally taken victoriously by Harry Kane (2-1 ap), Kasper Schmeichel was the dramatic hero of a semi-final where he symbolized the enormous courage of his team .

We knew the Reds dulled by a competition that will be remembered as an emotional roller coaster and which ended up draining them of the energy necessary to resist 30 more minutes, the time of overtime, to the "Three Lions" in hunt for a first continental final.

# photo1

From the discomfort of Christian Eriksen, who narrowly escaped death in the first match against Finland, to the qualification snatched against Russia (4-1), through the demonstration against Wales (4-0) and the victory against the Czechs (2-1), they will have known everything.

With his 34 years and his 70 caps, Kasper Schmeichel embodied, with Simon Kjaer, the experience in a young and talented group and as the competition progressed, his role in the team grew.

By his ancestry, he was a kind of link with this fairy tale from the past, Euro-1992 won to everyone's surprise by the small country with his father, Peter, in the cages.

And it is no coincidence that he had been one of the most booed Danish names when presenting the teams.

- Wembley, a second garden -

On Tuesday, he kindly made fun of the very popular English song "It's coming home" as if it were the trophy and not football, and asking: "he has already come back to home one day? ".

But it is mainly because his skills as a goalkeeper are well known in England.

For ten years at Leicester, he has been one of the most regular goalkeepers in a championship where the level in this position has risen considerably in recent years.

Champion in 2016 and winner of the FA Cup with the Foxes against Chelsea (1-0) last season, Wembley is like a second garden.

Present on a too soft strike from Raheem Sterling from the 13th minute, he achieved an incredible point blank parry of the abs, in an ice hockey goalie style, in front of the English striker (38th), even if he did not 'Nothing could, a few seconds later, on the home goal of Simon Kjaer, pressed by the same Sterling (1-1, 39th).

# photo2

In the 55th, he still disgusted the English supporters by going for an incredible horizontal header from Harry Maguire, not very strong but devilishly well placed, flush with his right post, before turning for a corner, with a tap , a vicious cross from Mason Mount (73rd).

# photo3

- The reed gave way -

At the start of extra time, when Harry Kane found a loophole to come and present himself in front of him, he lay down to push back his shot at a closed angle (93rd) before boxing a tense strike from Jack Grealish (98th).

He felt that his teammates, probably emptied emotionally and physically, only needed courage.

But the Danish reed eventually gave way.

Starting off by dribbling in the box, Sterling was very slightly unbalanced in the box, the referee pointing to the penalty point, reinforced by the VAR.

A task for Harry Kane, who is a bit of Schmeichel's nemesis, with his 12 goals scored for the Dane in 10 English league games.

He managed to start on the right side and repel Kane's strike, but the English captain was the quickest to push the ball to the bottom (2-1, 104th).

# photo4

At the very end of extra time, Schmeichel offered himself a final decisive intervention in front of Sterling, before the final whistle.

He then slowly approached his prostrate teammates, especially Joachim Andersen, to pick them up before going to greet the Danish fans on the other side of the pitch, all alone.

# photo5

Thank you?

A goodbye ?

The next few days will tell, but his father has much to be proud of the son who also allowed the country to dream.

© 2021 AFP