Eriksen penalty earns Denmark win over England, Scots win again

Christian Eriksen’s penalty on his 100th appearance for Denmark earned his side a 1-0 win over England in their Nations League clash at Wembley on Wednesday as the hosts played more than half the game with 10 men.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eriksen powered his spot kick past Jordan Pickford in the 35th minute, a couple of minutes after England centre back Harry Maguire had received a red card for a second booking.

The closest an unfamiliar-looking England side came to an equaliser after the break was when Mason Mount’s close-range header was superbly clawed away Kasper Schmeichel.

Harry Kane also had a late chance as the hosts pressed for an equaliser but defeat for Gareth Southgate’s England, who beat top-ranked Belgium at Wembley on Sunday, ended a nine-match streak of home wins spanning two years.

England slipped to third place in Group A2 which is now headed by Belgium with Denmark above England on goal difference.

Elsewhere, rejuvenated Scotland fought and scraped their way to an eighth game unbeaten with a 1-0 Nations League win over the Czech Republic at Hampden Park.

Attacker Ryan Fraser drove the home side into the lead in the sixth minute and could have added a second but the slick-moving visitors dominated for large spells and missed a series of chances either side of the break.

Steve Clarke’s team were not much of an attacking threat after half-time – although substitute Oli McBurnie hit the bar late on – and it was backs-to-the-wall defending at times.

But the home side held out to keep them at the top of Group B2 with 10 points from four games.

It is Scotland’s longest unbeaten run since 1988 when Andy Roxburgh was in charge and it offered further encouragement ahead of the Euro 2020 play-off final in Serbia next month before concluding their Nations League group against Slovakia and Israel away.