England beat Denmark, 2-1, in extra time in the semifinals of the European Championship on Wednesday, advancing — with a bit of luck — to its first major final since the 1966 World Cup.
The winning goal came from striker Harry Kane, who converted the rebound of his own saved penalty kick to break a 1-1 tie midway through extra time. Denmark had vehemently protested the penalty, contending that England’s Raheem Sterling had dived to win it. But the referee disagreed, and the video-assistant referee system in place for the tournament declined to overturn the call.
Staked to that slim lead just before the start of the second 15-minute overtime, England sent on an extra defender and hunkered down to seal its biggest achievement in 55 years.