With a double from Kasper Dolberg, the astonishing Danish selection disgusted Wales (4-0), Saturday June 26 in Amsterdam, at the same time winning his ticket for the quarterfinals of the Euro – the very first of this edition .
Since the immense fear caused by the cardiac arrest in the middle of a match for its midfielder Christian Eriksen, Denmark seems carried by an extra soul. Even if the Inter Milan player, who left the hospital for a week, is now recovered, the emotion remained palpable on Saturday in the stands, almost entirely committed to the Danish cause. On several occasions during the meeting, fans of Rod-Hvide (“Red-white”, in Danish) thus chanted the name of the midfielder.
Here is now the Scandinavian eleven launched towards Baku and the quarter-finals. In the Azerbaijani capital, flanked by the status of outsider, he will face the winner of the clash between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, scheduled for Sunday in Budapest.
Enthusiastic, Denmark does not forget that it won the Euro in 1992, certainly by breaking and entering (he was not qualified and had replaced Yugoslavia at short notice, then under international sanctions), but in a way well deserved. And, as in 1992, the Danish team advances in this Euro escorted by a wave of sympathy.
No remake of the Welsh epic of 2016
At the Johan-Cruyff Arena, home of Ajax Amsterdam, it was a former member of the Ajacid house who shone: Kasper Dolberg, who now plays in Nice, seized his chance in the absence of Yussuf Poulsen, usual holder left in the stands due to a physical problem.
The Danish center forward signed a nice brace. First a shot wound in the small opposite net (27e), then a strong shot at the reception of a completely missed clearance from Welsh defender Neco Williams (48e). In addition to his two goals, the 23-year-old, who had played for only thirty minutes in the group stage, was a constant poison for the Red Dragons, who only rivaled the Scandinavians during the start of the season. the encounter.
Joakim Maehle increased the score at the end of the game (88e) – before being the victim of a nasty fault by Harry Wilson, frustrated and excluded for the occasion (90e) -, and Martin Braithwaite definitively closed the mark (90e + 6).
This was more than enough to eliminate Gareth Bale and his partners, who dreamed of reproducing their crazy epic of 2016 (elimination in the semi-finals), but never had any weight on this meeting, despite a shot off target from Bale (10e).
The only false note of the evening for Denmark was the exit of the captain, Simon Kjaer, hit in the right thigh at a quarter of an hour from the end of the meeting.
Despite its one-sided scenario, this first chopping match of the tournament set the tone for the knockout phase opened by the knockout stages, scheduled from Saturday to Tuesday.