June 26, (THEWILL) – The continental championship in Europe resumed with the first round of 16 matches and Denmark advancing to their first quarter-finals in 17 years after completely outclassing Wales with an impressive 4-0 performance that saw Kasper Dolberg become the first Danish player since 1992 to score two goals in a knockout game of the Euros.
Although they will exit with this heavy defeat, Wales actually began the better of the two sides in the early exchanges. They were a constant immediate threat through the effervescent captain Gareth Bale, who boosted their confidence with a positive start.
Apart from Bale’s double missed opportunities in the opening minutes of the tie, both of which were powerful shots that went wide, Aaron Ramsey was kept from opening the scoring for Wales from close range by a bevy of Danish players to keep the match goalless long enough for Denmark to get up and running.
That came about when Dolberg displayed a clinical streak to convert the Danes’ first real chance just before the half-hour. The Ligue 1 striker of Nice Football Club latched onto a defence-splitting pass from teammate Mikkel Damsgaard to beat Wales keeper Danny Ward with a curler.
The Danish coach, aware of the danger posed by the Welsh duo of Juventus midfielder Ramsey and Real Madrid’s loanee Bale, switched to a back four and consolidated their foothold in the fixture to the continued frustration of the Wales attack line.
The harder Wales struggled for a leveller, the more spaces opened in their own area for Denmark to exploit and it could have been two goals to the latter’s advantage but Joakim Mæhle’s snapshot was repelled by Wales’ goalkeeper Ward.
The Danes continued to set the tempo after the break retaining full control of the game. It translated to another goal soon after the restart with Dolberg again the goal-scorer. The goal resulted from a panicked clearance by Liverpool defender Neco Williams. The ball was gifted to Dolberg, who did not need a second invitation to score his second.
Under the afternoon ambiance of the Amsterdam stadium, Wales continued to seek their first goal for the Round of 16. They employed what could have been a practiced counterattack but it failed in the face of an unyielding Danish defense.
Rather, to the chagrin of the Welsh, the Danes found a way to breach their own defences. This time, it was Joakim Mæhle, whose exceptional display in their last match included a goal, that capped another fine display on Saturday with another goal.
The defender was fed the ball by Jensen from the right channel and he showed a striker’s dexterity with his exquisite cut back before hitting the ball into the top right for a superb goal number three for the Danes. There was time yet for Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite to add gloss with a fourth before the final whistle.
The Danes celebrated as the first team into the quarter-finals of the competition even though they had lost the first two games of the competition and were enduring the absence of their player, Christian Eriksen, due to his heart condition.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
