Her side had the advantage for much of the second-half after Fara Williams gracefully slotted home a 52nd minute penalty after Rachel Yankey had been tripped in the box.

But in the last ten minutes, a beautifully executed free-kick and a powerful header snatched a win for Denmark which sees them top Group A and England needing a draw from the final group game against Sweden on Saturday.

“All the things asked of the players they did," said Powell, "I can’t criticise them, the girls were magnificent I thought. We played better than we did the other night perhaps and we won. Then we played better here and lost.

"Denmark dug themselves out of a hole. Credit to them, They came back in it but I thought we played very, very well. We've got to look forward now.

"We've got another game to go and that's what we'll be working on. We now have to treat Sweden as a must-win game.”

England were cursing their luck when Denmark equalised through a free-kick on the edge of the box wonderfully taken by Merete Pedersen. Three Lions scorer Williams was penalised for the foul but Powell suggested that she'd taken the ball cleanly.

“I thought Fara won the ball,” she said, “but the referee thought differently. Sometimes those things go for you, sometimes they don’t.”

The mood in the England camp was summed up at the final whistle by Birmingham City’s Karen Carney, scorer of the winning goal against Finland on Sunday. “The game’s full of highs and lows,” said the 17 year-old winger.

“We were so disappointed to concede two goals so late. I still think we were the better team, but we’ve now go to pick ourselves up and do the business on Saturday.”

Denmark: Tine Cederkvist; Mariann Knudsen, Gitte Andersen, Katrine Pedersen, Bettina Falk; Ann Dot Eggers Nielsen (Tanja Christensen 71), Cathrinen Paaske Sorensen, Louise Hansen, Johanna Rasmussen, Merete Pedersen, Nanna Molbach Johansen (Lene Jensen 58)
Subs not used: Stine Kjaer Jensen, Dorte Dalum Jensen, Cecillie Pdersen, Mette Bjerg, Mie Olsen, Helle Nielsen, Stina Lykke Petersen.

England: Jo Fletcher - Birmingham City, Alex Scott - Birmingham City, Faye White - Arsenal, Mary Phillip - Arsenal, Rachel Unitt - Everton, Katie Chapman - Charlton Athletic, Kelly Smith - Arsenal (Vicky Exley - Doncaster Rovers Belles, 46), Fara Williams - Everton, Karen Carney - Birmingham City, Amanda Barr - Birmingham City (Eniola Aluko - Charlton Athletic, 65, Rachel Yankey - Birmingham City.
Subs not used: Jody Handley - Everton, Emily Westwood - Wolves, Rachel Brown - Everton, Casey Stoney - Charlton Athletic, Anita Asante - Arsenal, Lindsay Johnson - Everton, Leanne Hall - Fulham.

Referee: Alexandra Ihringova (SVK)
Assistant referees: Irina Mirt (ROM) and Yolanda Parga Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth official: Nicole Petignat (SUI)

Attendance: 14,695