On the 29th anniversary of their summiting Europe, Denmark showed that scripting a football fairytale isn’t the sole proprietorship of the class of 1992. And having left Copenhagen, it was in Amsterdam, which Christian Eriksen called home when he represented Ajax, that they added another chapter to a competition where all seemed lost after two rounds.
To the list of substitutes who have lit up majors, add the name of Kasper Dolberg, another Dane who has played for Ajax. If Yussuf Poulsen’s injury is serious, Dolberg could be another on whom fame sat easy in competitions they weren’t supposed to start. Such as Amarildo who replaced Pele and scored three goals on way to Brazil’s 1962 World Cup win. Or Sergio Goycochea who took Argentina to the 1990 World Cup final after first-choice goalie Nery Pumpido got injured. Or Salvatore Schilacci who won the Golden Boot in the edition that catapulted Goycochea to fame.
Dolberg’s goal had a lot of contribution from another player who wasn’t in coach Kasper Hjulmand’s original plans. Eriksen’s boots are big to fill at the best of times and more so when he is the centrifugal force binding a team and a country but, boy, hasn’t Mikkel Damsgaard acquainted himself well in that role. Damsgaard and left full back Joakim Maehle combined to feed Dolberg whose right-footer from outside the box bent and curled in at the far post. Job done, Dolberg stood like he was Christ The Redeemer.
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By then, Denmark had taken contorl. For a passage of play, Wales had overrun the midfield but by getting right-side centre-back Andres Christensen to play a little further up, Denmark neutralised the advantage Wales got when Gareth Bale would drift infield.
Between the sixth and 12th minutes, Bale had shot on goal that didn’t bend like Dolberg’s, had a ball pinged off him inside Denmark’s penalty area and, after escaping a challenge on the inside right, couldn’t find a teammate. He and Daniel James on the left went largely anonymous in the first half after Denmark sorted out their midfield issues. By the time Bale came alive again and was protesting vociferously to referee Daniel Siebert, Dolberg had scored a second.
Keiffer Moore was felled by a challenge from Simon Kjaer— the reason for Bale’s agitation—and Braithwaite scootered away after Denmark played the ball on the right.
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Braithwaite’s delivery provoked a panicked reaction from Neco Williams, who replaced the tireless Connor Roberts after the right-back hurt his groin, and the ball rolled to Dolberg who didn’t need a second invitation.
The game had been over when Maehle steamed like down the right to meet a ball from the left and slotted home. Wales’ afternoon disintegrated further when Harry Wilson was shown the red card in the 90th for a clumsy tackle on Maehle. Soon after, Braithwaite scored a fourth.
For Denmark, the dream lives on. As it does for Hjulmand who back home is known as Fodboldrommer or a football dreamer.