Rampant England fire warning

England return to Wembley two wins from a first European Championship title after recording their biggest ever victory at the tournament with a 4-0 demolition of Ukraine in the quarter-finals in Rome.

Having successfully negotiated a trip to the Stadio Olimpico with a flourish, Gareth Southgate's team will have the support of some 60,000 fans when they take on Denmark for a place in the final Wednesday.

Three years on from a bitter World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia, England have the chance to move on from that disappointment and end a long wait for silverware.

With the remainder of the competition to be played in London and Covid-19 restrictions severely limiting travelling fans, they are unlikely to get a better opportunity of adding to the 1966 World Cup win. "Teams have to go on a bit of a journey and they have to go through some pain sometimes to progress," said Southgate. 

"We've had some great nights over the last four years but we've also had some painful ones and that's definitely helped us prepare for another tournament."

Unlike in Russia, where Harry Kane's hot start soon became a distant memory as England entered the knockout phase, the striker looks to have rediscovered his form at the perfect moment.

While the attack clicked into gear on another famous night in the Italian capital, 24 years after a goalless draw here secured qualification for the 1998 World Cup, the defence remains unbreached.

"They gave a fantastic performance, not only the players who started but the players who came into the game," said Southgate.

"The recognition in moments like tonight was that we didn't want to take a backwards step. We really wanted to grasp an opportunity. I thought the players were decisive and ruthless all night," he added.  "We are on the right track for sure, but we haven't done nothing yet," said Kane. 

"We have got a massive semi-final to look forward to now at Wembley. What an occasion, what a moment to be involved in.  We have a vision of where we want to be, we are taking it step by step and so far so good, so we will recover now, take the confidence from this game but look ahead to a tough team in Denmark."

The UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final ties are confirmed following the completion of the quarter-finals. The semi-finals will both take place at Wembley Stadium in London.

Italy v Spain

This is the fourth straight EURO in which Italy have played Spain. At UEFA EURO 2008, Spain won 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 quarter-final draw in Vienna. Four years later, they drew 1-1 in the group stage in Gdansk and then met again in the Kyiv final, Spain winning 4-0. Italy turned the tables with a 2-0 round of 16 win at Stade de France. In 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, they drew 1-1 in Italy and Spain won 3-0 at home, and they have another semi-final lined up in October in the UEFA Nations League in Milan.

England vs Denmark

England and Denmark have met once at a EURO, a 0-0 draw in the 1992 group stage in Malmo. Ten years later, England won their World Cup round of 16 tie 3-0 in Niigata. More recently in the UEFA Nations League, it was 0-0 in Copenhagen in September 2020 before Denmark won 1-0 at Wembley a month later thanks to a Christian Eriksen penalty.