From Denmark’s high of winning Euro 1992 to midfielder Christian Eriksen’s heart attack in the last finals, the country’s participation at the tournament usually means drama and in Germany they will be hoping for the more positive kind.
Having famously triumphed as rank outsiders in 1992, the Danes bounced back from Eriksen’s traumatic collapse in their opening Euro 2020 game to reach the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by England, before Kasper Hjulmand’s swashbuckling side breezed through qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Things have been tougher since, however.
They crashed out at the group stage in Qatar after failing to fire and, although they topped Euro 2024 qualifying Group H, they did so only on goal difference ahead of Slovenia.
“We had a difficult 2023 in the qualifying campaign — finally, in the end, we qualified, which is the main thing, but we struggled in certain games,” Denmark assistant coach Morten Wieghorst told Reuters.
The former Denmark midfielder said his side went into qualifying knowing they would enjoy a vast amount of possession, but, as in Qatar, they often struggled to break down teams.
That, however, is unlikely to happen in Germany, where they take on England, Serbia and Slovenia in Group C, none of whom are likely to just sit back against the Danes.
DENMARK AT A GLANCE
Previous Euro performance: Nine participations, winners in 1992
Other honours: None
FIFA ranking: 21
Nickname: The Red and Whites
Coach: Kasper Hjulmand
Star players: Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund
Main clubs: FC Copenhagen, FC Midtjylland, Brondby
How did they qualify: Won Group H
Pre-Euro friendlies:
Denmark 2 Sweden 1 (June 5)
Denmark 3 Norway 1 (June 8)
“The term easier I wouldn’t use but the games are going to be different,” Wieghorst said wryly.
Despite Eriksen’s heart issue, and him not being as fleet-footed as he once was, the 32-year-old is still expected to play a key role for a team in which he has been the dominant creative force for more than a decade.
“He can find that space and time to exploit the defences of the opponents, so that’s his major strength. And then in terms of pressing, we have to accommodate a player of his stature,” Wieghorst explained.
Up front, Denmark will look to Eriksen’s Manchester United team mate Rasmus Hojlund, who netted 10 Premier League goals in a dysfunctional side, three more than he scored in qualifying for the Euros.
Another major strength for the team will be the estimated 50,000 Danes expected to attend the games over the border in Germany, an asset Wieghorst does not underestimate.
“We want to make it exciting, we want to give them something to shout about, and to have a great party and a great time in Germany,” he said.
DENMARK SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Anderlecht/BEL), Mads Hermansen (Leicester City/ENG), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin/GER)
Defenders: Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace/ENG), Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City/ENG), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan/ITA), Joakim Maehle (Wolfsburg/GER), Andreas Christensen (Barcelona/ESP), Rasmus Kristensen (Roma/ITA), Victor Kristiansen (Bologna/ITA), Alexander Bah (Benfica/POR), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray/TUR)
Midfielders: Mathias Jensen (Brentford/ENG), Thomas Delaney (Anderlecht/BEL), Christian Eriksen (Manchester United/ENG), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge/BEL), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford/ENG), Christian Norgaard (Brentford/ENG), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting Lisbon/POR)
Forwards: Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United/ENG), Kasper Dolberg (Anderlecht/BEL), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg/GER), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig/GER), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Burnley/ENG), Anders Dreyer (Anderlecht/BEL)
DENMARK MATCH SCHEDULE
Slovenia vs Denmark – June 16, 2024 -9:30 pm IST
Denmark vs England – June 20, 2024 – 9:30 pm IST
Denmark vs Serbia – June 26, 2024 – 12:30 am IST
LIVESTREAMING AND TELECAST INFO
All of Denmark’s matches at Euro 2024 will be telecasted on the Sony Sports Network. The matches will also be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app.
– With inputs from AFP
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