Denmark’s footballing pedigree has lengthy been spectacular, with out overly impressing. If that is smart. There have all the time been standout gamers, the kind of participant that the world appears on in awe at. However then as a crew, they’ve hardly ever been capable of problem in the best way {that a} France, a Spain or a Germany may.
Whereas the times of the Laudrups, Simmonsen and Schmeichel, the elder, could also be gone, it’s nonetheless the case, with the likes of Schmeichel, the youthful, Christian Eriksen and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have paved their very own path during the last decade. And whereas they haven’t fairly hit the heights on Euro 92, there have been semi finals and loads of memorable moments during the last decade, each among the many males’s and ladies’s nationwide crew.
The Danes wish to make recollections as soon as once more within the Ladies’s Euros this summer season, earlier than the boys participate within the World Cup on the finish of this coming season. Not that it’s trying hopeful that both will do something awe-inspiring. In actual fact, MightyTips, a reviewer of the highest Danish bookmakers, have discovered that almost all bookmakers are pricing the Danish ladies at round 80/1 to win the competitors, and round 50/1 for the boys subsequent 12 months.
However, the identical would have been stated 33 years in the past, when the Danes didn’t even qualify for the match however managed to win it!
With the home season bookended by worldwide competitors, we teamed up with MightTips’ resident worldwide soccer skilled, Kate Richardson, to run down her high 5 most memorable video games for the Danish during the last 10 years…
2017: Germany 1-2 Denmark – Ladies’s Euro 2017
After making it by way of the Group Stage, Denmark’s ladies couldn’t have requested for a tougher tie to progress into the semi finals. Germany had been on the hunt for a seventh consecutive European Championship, a run of twenty-two years.
It wasn’t trying good both. The sport had been delayed 24 hours resulting from rain, and Germany received off to an excellent begin, taking the lead inside three minutes. Enterprise as ordinary? Not precisely.
The Danes equalised simply after half time due to Nadia Nadim, earlier than a late winner from Theresa Edlund secured victory and Germany’s solely third ever defeat within the historical past of the competitors.
2020: England 0-1 Denmark – UEFA Nations League
A win at Wembley, the house of soccer, is a significant achievement for any crew, and it’s no totally different for the Danes. Within the context of the match itself, it didn’t actually imply something, however that was definitely each a standout consequence and efficiency.
It was one of many Danes most composed performances in recent times, benefitting from Harry Maguire being despatched off within the first half. A Kyle Walker foul on Thomas Delaney earned the guests a penalty, with Christain Eriksen duly changing on his one centesimal look for his nation.
England pushed within the second half, however the solidity and tactical nous of the away aspect secured three factors and a memorable win.
2021: Denmark 4-1 Russia – Euro 2020
Denmark’s Euro 2020 marketing campaign is definitely one that can stay lengthy within the reminiscence. Following the cardiac arrest of Christian Eriksen towards Finland within the group’s opener, feelings had been excessive within the Danish camp, however they rallied with fairly exceptional spirit to run all the best way to the semi finals.
The second group recreation, and first following Eriksen’s collapse, was towards Russia and the Danes placed on a exceptional show with lovely attacking soccer to thump their opposition 4-1 to qualify for the knockout phases and ship a robust message of assist to their teammate watching on from his hospital mattress.
Such was the power of the victory, Guardian journalist David Wall wrote: “Each time a supervisor complains about fixture congestion, timing of matches, tiredness, and so forth all of the pundits weigh in saying that you must by no means give gamers excuses for under-performing as a result of they’ll take them.
“However the Danes are giving the deceive that dogma. If any crew had an excuse to under-perform it could have been them. As a substitute they’ve risen to the particular challenges thrown up for them, and are going to be rewarded. I’d be apprehensive if I used to be within the Welsh camp.”
2021: Wales 0-4 Denmark – Euro 2020
And Wales would endure an identical destiny, with Denmark’s run beginning to be harking back to a fairytale. However may they finish it in fashion for Eriksen, watching on after his horror incident. The Spherical of 16 recreation definitely prompt so.
The fluid, attacking soccer on show in Amsterdam was like a sure Mr Cruyff on his house patch, and each that, and Eriksen, wasn’t removed from the supervisor’s thoughts, as he stated following the 4-0 thrashing to take them into the quarter finals.
Kasper Hjulmand stated in his submit match interview: “Cruyff is one in all my biggest inspirations and understanding this was one in all Christian’s first properties and understanding that is the place he performed one in all his first video games at 16 years previous… he’s with us, and I might have liked for him to have been right here.”
Going all the best way wasn’t to be although. Whereas they beat France within the Quarter Ultimate with one other exceptional efficiency, they couldn’t fairly get past England within the semis, settling for third place however an unimaginable run all the identical.
2022: Denmark 3-0 Serbia – Pleasant
It’s not typically a pleasant makes a listing of high video games, however this was no extraordinary pleasant. Christian Eriksen made his return to worldwide responsibility, strolling out on the exact same pitch he’d collapsed 290 days earlier.
The ambiance was electrical on the Parken Stadium, with followers visibly emotional. In any case, no one anticipated the legend to step out onto a soccer pitch once more. Eriksen capped the night time off with a objective, with the Danes securing a 3-0 win over a robust Serbian aspect.
It was a robust reminder of the facility of soccer and the human’s means to beat adversity in a memorable night time and an ideal exhibiting of why we name it the gorgeous recreation.
A Memorable 12 Months for the Danes?
The subsequent 12 months gives loads of alternative for the Danish to make an extra mark on world soccer, each within the males’s and the ladies’s recreation.
There’s a difficult group for the ladies to get by way of within the Euros, notably after a sluggish begin towards Sweden, however they nonetheless have each probability. In the meantime, the boys have a manageable group in qualification to safe their place on the World Cup subsequent 12 months.
We’ve lengthy seen the nation has it of their locker to drag off huge wins when it issues. So, who’s to say that 2025/26 isn’t an enormous 12 months for the nation?
The article is written by Kate Richardson
