Sorensen - faces England on Saturday (Allsport).

By Damian Spellman, PA Sport

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Thomas Sorensen will be hoping his birthday celebrations have to be put on ice for a little longer as he prepares for Saturday's World Cup clash with England.

The Sunderland goalkeeper was 26 on Wednesday, the day after Denmark secured their passage to the last 16 with a 2-0 win over demoralised reigning champions France.

Sorensen will have to leave his partying until after the Danes follow their French counterparts back from the Far East, but he will not mind one bit if that is delayed a little further.

England and Denmark meet in Niigata on Saturday knowing that the sudden death tie will leave one of them devastated.

Both sides will believe that they can make it through to the last eight, but the form of Sorensen and opposite number David Seaman could have a major bearing on the result.

The veteran Arsenal goalkeeper knows all about the pressures of tournament football, but for the younger man, it is a first taste of life-or-death existence on the big stage.

However, after waiting so long in the shadow of Peter Schmeichel to get his chance, Sorensen is not about to let it go without a battle.

"Right now, I feel very comfortable and I think that has made a difference to my game at international level," said the Sunderland goalkeeper.

"I've got off to a good start with Denmark, but I still have a long way to go to achieve the same things as Peter.

"It has been a great honour to play for my country in the World Cup finals, and experience-wise, it's a fantastic boost.

"You play against the best players under a lot of pressure and you learn from that. I'm sure I'll benefit from what is a great challenge."

Denmark's progress through the group stage was unerring as Jon Dahl Tomasson, doubtful for the England match, eased them past Uruguay in their opening fixture and then ensured a draw against surprise package Senegal before cementing the win over France.

The former Newcastle striker, now 25, is one of a new breed of Danish internationals who, along with Sorensen, will provide the backbone of the national side for years to come.

Denmark may not yet be ready to challenge for the biggest prizes, but there is a growing belief that, given time, they can make an impact.

In the meantime, they are happy to ride the wave which has taken them into the knockout stage and see just how far it can carry them.

"We've got a young and very talented team, and I think maybe in two or three years' time, this team will probably peak," said Sorensen.

"At the moment, I still think we're strong, and if everyone plays to their best, we've got a chance."

Sorensen has rapidly established a reputation for himself in the Premiership after his £1million move to Sunderland from Odense in August 1998, and has recently been linked with a series of big moves after admitting his ambition to play in the European competitions.

Club manager Peter Reid is a huge fan and will do all he can to hang on to a man who has provided a solid foundation for his side since his arrival on Wearside.

Like team-mates Thomas Gravesen, Stig Tofting, Jesper Gronkjaer and Claus Jensen, he will be able to help provide coach Morten Olsen with a detailed dossier on England's dangermen, and having seen Michael Owen beat him with an audacious lob at the Stadium of Light on April 13, will be desperate to repay the Liverpool hitman in kind.

He remains confident that Denmark can do a job at the weekend, but knows that Sven-Goran Eriksson's side will be a major threat if they hit top gear.

"Before the World Cup, I definitely gave England a chance," he said. "They had drawn the toughest group, but there were always going to be surprises in that group.

"People said Argentina were favourites, but it might just as well have been England or Sweden, or even Nigeria.

"England have a number of world-class players in David Beckham, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey. They always had the potential to go far - if they didn't come across Denmark!"

Sorensen has enjoyed a fine start to the competition and had litte chance of keeping out Dario Rodriguez's piledriver against Uruguay, one of just two goals he has conceded to date.

Seaman has only been beaten by Sweden's Niclas Alexandersson so far, but one of them will see their record spoiled on Saturday.

And while the Dane hopes it is his opposite number picking the ball out of the back of the net, he is not surprised at the 38-year-old's form.

"All three of the England goalkeepers are very good, but David is the one with all the experience," he said.

"He has been there for so many years and he has played in European Championships and World Cups.

"You know what you're going to get if he's playing. I don't think he's too old.

"If you're good enough, you're young enough."