EXCLUSIVEWhy Denmark are motivated by an incident no England fan even remembers in Thursday's Euros clash: PETER SCHMEICHEL interview

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Three years on from the Covid-affected pan-continental Euro 2020, memory lingers on England's agonising penalty shootout defeat by Italy in the final.

That's the tournament's legacy on these shores. Ask a Denmark fan what they remember from the latter stages of the competition and you’ll get a very different story.

'That was a hard moment,' Denmark and Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel tells Mail Sport, recalling England's controversial semi-final winner.

'Especially when we saw the VAR pictures back and it was clear that there was no contact.'

That nail-biting night at Wembley swung in the host’s favour when referee Danny Makkelie awarded a penalty, after deeming Joakim Maehle's contact on Raheem Sterling sufficient for a foul.

England were awarded a controversial penalty in extra-time of the Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark

Harry Kane tapped in the winner after Kasper Schmeichel had initially saved his effort from 12 yards

Peter Schmeichel (left), pictured alongside fellow goalkeeping icon David Seaman, believes Denmark have a chance to go deep in this summer's competition

Replays did indeed show that a touch, if at all present, was minimal. And to add insult to injury, Kasper Schmeichel - Peter's son - saved Harry Kane's 104th-minute effort, only for the forward to tap in the rebound.

'It's what football is.' Schmeichel, who spoke to Mail Sport while promoting Frank's Redhot sauce, said. 'It's tough. Decisions go against you, decisions go with you. Sometimes you benefit from it, sometimes you don't and that's it.'

The sides meet on Thursday for the first time since that encounter, each coming off largely uninspiring performances in their tournament openers.

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Gareth Southgate's side were at least able to eke out a 1-0 victory, which saw them ascend to the top of an increasingly competitive Group C.

Earlier in the day, more than 450 km away, Kasper Hjulmand watched as his team stuttered and stumbled before eventually hanging on for a draw against Slovenia, when defeat would have been just reward for their display.

It will be abundantly clear to the Danes that a similar showing against England could see their campaign resemble their disappointing Qatar World Cup, where they finished bottom of a group including France, Australia and Tunisia - not the valiant Euros run 18 months earlier many had predicted.

Tempting as it may be to presume the Danish camp has been thirsting for revenge or that Hjulmand has plastered stills of Sterling’s Wembley tumble on every wall, Schmeichel plead the contrary.

In his view, a game against the Three Lions is big enough. Especially given the predicament Denmark now find themselves in.

Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand is preparing his side for the clash against England in Frankfurt

His side struggled in their Euro 2024 opener against Slovenia which ended in a 1-1 draw

Christian Eriksen enjoyed a starring role and scored a superb goal to give the Danes a first-half lead

'There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that revenge will never come up as a word when the team is preparing for the game.' Schmeichel, who improbably lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy with Denmark in 1992, said. 

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'Anytime in the history of football you play England, it's a special game. It doesn't matter how good or how bad England are. It's a big game and from the outset you have to play to your best level to be able to compete. 

'As a manager or player you don't want to bring all of these external things that don't have anything to do with the now into the equation.'

One positive from Denmark's opener was the performance of Christian Eriksen. Almost three years to the day since he suffered a cardiac arrest and shockingly collapsed on the pitch against Finland, his starring role against Slovenia felt particularly poignant.

The 32-year-old is one of a number of Danish starters that will be extremely familiar to Premier League viewers.

United colleague Rasmus Hojlund leads the line, while Pierre Emerick Hojbjerg, Jannik Vestergaard, Andreas Christensen, Joachim Andersen and Kasper Schmeichel have all enjoyed success in the English top-flight.

In Stuttgart, the former Tottenham star played with a swagger and command that belied his form for the Red Devils. Hummel chevrons on his shoulders and Eriksen is a man reborn.

Schmeichel believes the midfielder is on a mission to truly stamp his authority on this tournament and he is adamant that the ‘traumatic’ event at the Parken Stadium will have no bearing on Eriksen or his team-mates this time around.

England currently sit top of the group after grinding out a 1-0 win over Serbia last Sunday

'You can see how happy he is and how much he's enjoying being with this squad,' Schmeichel added. 'I'm convinced that he is going to have a really strong Euros.

'He's talking about it himself, about how often it's been his Euros and then it hasn't been. He's such an important player for us.' 

With England sat top of the group on three points, Denmark will need to force the issue in Frankfurt. 

One would imagine Southgate would delight in extending England's run of group stage clean sheets and the four points that would all but secure a knockout berth, if offered a goalless draw pre-match. 

That makes a clash potentially a defining game for the Danish manager and his outfit. Several starters are the wrong side of 30, while their young stars still need time to mature. 

Additionally, Hjulmand has come under fire in recent months, most intensely after deciding to snub Celtic's Matt O'Riley from his Euros squad, despite the 23-year-old’s impressive season at Parkhead.

Defeat against England would leave Denmark needing a win in their final Group C fixture for a chance to progress

Schmeichel, though, remains confident in this Denmark side and their ability to go far this summer. Pushed for his prediction, he backed his nation to prevail by two unanswered goals.

'We've got really good, strong players and we've got some young players coming through. ’He added. ‘We are very positive, Denmark has been looking forward to this Euros for so long, like I can’t remember.’

• Frank’s is bringing an essence of Germany to London on Thursday 20th June, as it takes over the Bermondsey Bierkeller beer hall and transforms it into Frank’s-Furt; the ultimate viewing event to watch the Denmark v England game in style