England 2-1 Denmark: Record 26.3 million watched Three Lions secure place in Euro 2020 final

England supporters at Trafalgar Square celebrate as the Three Lions beat Denmark

A record 26.3 million people watched England book their place in their first major tournament final since 1966 after beating Denmark 2-1 in extra time at Wembley.

The match was shown on ITV and when viewers on the Hub and non-TV devices were factored in, the audience peak hit 27.6 million people, the largest football audience ever for a single channel.

England will wear all-white kit for for the final on Sunday, when the Three Lions take on Italy at Wembley, will be the first time in 55 years that the men's team have made it to the final of a major tournament.

The team's preparations for the Euro 2020 final were all ready under way way at St George’s Park on Thursday.

Gareth Southgate’s starters against the Danes did recovery work as attention turned to the Azzurri, with substitutes Jordan Henderson and Jack Grealish joining them working indoors.

Phil Foden and Kieran Trippier came on in extra time but took part in the main session, unlike fellow introductions Grealish and Henderson.

Southgate reported after the game that “it seems like everybody’s come through the game OK in terms of injuries” but admitted it was not the best time to assess everything given the adrenaline that came with victory.

On Wednesday night in front of 60,000 fans, Harry Kane lead his side into the final of Euro 2020 after scoring from a rebounded penalty.

The captain's shot was initially denied by Denmark keeper Schmeichel, but Kane put it away on the rebound to put England ahead 2-1 in extra time.

Normal time finished a goal a piece, with the visitors first to score.

Damsgaard's goal was the first time England have conceded in the Euros this year, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had maintained a clean sheet up until this point.

The Three Lions hit back after just nine minutes when a cross from Saka was deflected in by Simon Kjaer for an own goal.

ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott explains how England 'coped brilliantly' after Denmark started with a lead in the game

As the game continued into extra time, Southgate brought in reinforcements with Kieran Trippier on to replace Jack Grealish - who had come on with 22 minutes left of normal time.

Jordan Henderson and Phil Foden came on too to bring some pace into England's game.

England continued to look threatening into extra time, but it was a foul against Sterling in the box that gave the Three Lions their opportunity to move ahead.

The referee's call was checked by VAR, but the penalty decision remained and Kane put it away on the rebound.

After the match it emerged that Denmark's keeper Schmeichel had had a laser shone in his face as he prepared for Kane's penalty.

On Thursday, football's governing body said it had opened disciplinary proceedings against England over the incident.

Uefa said it is also looking into the booing of the Denmark national anthem and the lighting of fireworks inside the stadium.

Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel has laser shone into his eyes ahead of Kane penalty

Commentators condemned the perpetrator, branding the actions "completely unacceptable and ridiculous".

Denmark continued to threaten in the dying minutes of extra time.

Pickford was forced to make a save and Maguire cleared a threatening corner from the visitors.

But England held their lead, with Sterling continuing to attack until the final whistle went.

The win puts the England's men team within touching distance of victory on the European stage for the first time in more than half a century.

Italy await England following a semi-final victory against Spain on Tuesday in which they triumphed on penalties when the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Southgate's side will be cheered on by a 60,000 strong crowd at Wembley on Sunday, as they were in the semis.

England fans rejoice as a deflection from Saka's cross draws the Three Lions level

The Duke of Cambridge, Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson, Prince Christian of Denmark, and the Crown Prince of Denmark were all spotted in the stands as England won on Wednesday.

Gareth Southgate praised his side on their semi-final victory.

"I’m so proud of the players. It’s an incredible occasion to be a part of – we knew it wouldn’t be straight-forward, we said to the players we’ll have to show our resilience and come back from some setbacks, and we’ve done that tonight."

Denmark supporters in Copenhagen celebrate as their side are first to score

On Kane's goal that put England ahead, where they stayed until the final whistle, Southgate said: "There’s nobody you’ve rather have on it, but you’re up against a great goalkeeper who he’s obviously faced a lot of times – but thankfully that’s now immaterial."

"The most pleasing thing is that we’ve given our fans and our nation a fantastic night," Southgate said.

Kane described England’s win as "one of the proudest moments in my life".

He told ITV: "For once it fell our way today. Credit to the boys – what a performance. After going 1-0 down we responded really well and controlled the game, and dug deep in extra-time.

"It’s the first time in our history as a nation, getting through to the European final at Wembley, and it’s one of the proudest moments in my life, for sure.

"But we haven’t won it yet, we’ve got one more to go."

Sterling described England's game as "a top performance".

He told ITV: "We had to dig in deep after the first goal we conceded in the tournament, and we regrouped well and showed a good team spirit to come back and win the game.

"It was difficult going behind but we knew we had to stay patient – we knew with the legs we’ve got, the aggressiveness and the power we have in the team, it would be a matter of time before we broke them down."

Unsurprisingly Sterling defended the penalty decision in his favour, adding: "I went into the box and he stuck his right leg out, and it touched my leg so it was a clear penalty."

Despite the celebrations at Wembley, Sterling insisted the focus would almost immediately shift to the final against Italy.

"It’s another step in the right direction," he added. "But once we’re back in the dressing room it’s over and we’ve got to focus on the weekend now. It’s step-by-step and that’s all we can do."

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Johnson said the England game had been a “total nail-biter” as he praised Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane for their energy in the semi-final match against Denmark.

“I thought it was the most extraordinary game," the prime minister said while on a visit in central London.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an England team play with such creativity and flair and versatility and just keep going like that.

“The way Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane just kept their energy levels up throughout the 120 minutes or whatever it was.

“It was a total nail-biter.”

The PM wished the team "the very best" ahead of Sunday's final and would not be drawn on whether a win could net Southgate a knighthood or the nation a bank holiday on Monday.

Scenes of jubilation across the country erupted on the final whistle, with fans blocking streets in central London into the early hours of the morning.

The capital's mayor Sadiq Khan urged Londoner's who celebrated the match on Wednesday to take a coronavirus test on Thursday.

England v Italy will kick off at 8pm on Sunday, July 11 and it will be live on ITV - it will also be available to stream live on the ITV Hub.