England fans fume minutes into Denmark match as Shearer spots problem on BBC

20 June 2024 , 16:33

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England players repeatedly lost their footing at the Frankfurt Arena (Image: BBC Sport)

Fans have taken to social media to criticise the state of the pitch during England 's match with Denmark.

The Three Lions and Denmark took to the field at the Frankfurt Arena on Thursday evening, but it quickly became apparent that players were struggling to keep their footing on the field.

Kyle Walker (twice), Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Marc Guehi all slipped in the opening 15 minutes with the pitch visibly cutting up beneath their feet. Walker, who took a heavy fall, even changed his footwear in a bid to get to grips with the issue as the nations played out a 1-1 draw.

Former England striker Alan Shearer, commentating on the game for BBC Sport, was quick to spot the issue and questioned the quality of the pitch. And plenty of fans took to social media to express their own concerns.

One fan on X posted: "The pitch is awful," while another person on the social media app quipped: "The pitch is in a shocking state. Did they play rugby on it yesterday?"

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Another fan expressed concern for Walker after he appeared to hurt his ankle after slipping. They wrote: "The pitch is awful. Walker and others have been victims of it. His ankle shouldn't be bending like that..."

Kyle Walker looked down at the turf after a heavy fall (BBC Sport)

The Frankfurt Arena, home of Eintracht Frankfurt, had only hosted one match prior to England's meeting with Denmark, which was Slovakia's shock 1-0 win over Belgium. Host nation Germany, winners of Group A, are due to play there at the weekend.

Despite concerns over the poor playing surface, England made a dream start courtesy of captain Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich striker had the coolest head in Frankfurt when the ball trickled into his path in the penalty area and clinically dispatched it beyond Kasper Schmeichel in the 18th minute.

The pitch did, however, definitely play a part in Denmark's equalising goal. Kane, minutes after scoring, ended up giving the ball to Morten Hjulmand, with the Dane sending a long-range rocket beyond Jordan Pickford.

Dan Marsh