Denmark won 4-1 over Russia in their final group stage match at Euro 2020, making it a memorable night for the Danes. The victory ensured them an unlikely place in the knockout stages.
After losing their matches against Finland and Belgium, the Danes knew they needed a win and some help elsewhere to qualify for the tournament. So they applied constant pressure on the Russian defence, eventually taking the lead in the 38th minute. Mikkel Damsgaard, who replaced Christian Eriksen in the starting lineup against Belgium, hit the top right corner with a stunning long-range strike.
Russia realized they needed to switch gears at halftime because they wanted a result as well. Up to that time, the Russians had won against Finland and lost to Belgium by three points. However, it would not be enough to guarantee a place in the Euro 2020 knockout round as things stand.
However, things got worse for the Russians when Yussuf Poulsen intercepted a poor back-pass from Roman Zobnin. To the pleasure of the Copenhagen crowd, the Leipzig attacker calmly directed the ball into the net.
With their hopes for Euro 2020 fading, the Russians were given an unexpected lifeline. Jannik Vestergaard was adjudged to have brought Aleksandr Sobolev down unfairly in the box, and a penalty was awarded.
Kasper Schmeichel of Denmark vigorously contested the decision, but the VAR affirmed Vestergaard’s foul. Then, Artem Dzyuba scored a penalty down the centre to become Russia’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Andreas Christensen’s spectacular strike in the 79th minute restored Denmark’s two-goal advantage. After Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov parried both Martin Braithwaite and Kasper Dolberg’s shots, the ball fell into the path of an onrushing Christensen. To clinch up the points for Denmark, the Chelsea defender slammed the ball into the back of the net without breaking pace.
Joakim Maehle polished off a superb counter-attack with another goal in the 82nd minute, making the evening even better for Denmark. The strike, which came from the box’s bottom corner, was the frosting on the cake for the Danes.
Denmark will face Wales in the Euro 2020 Round of 16. So far in the Group Stage, the Welsh have been inconsistent. They finished second in Group A after beating Turkey, drawing with Switzerland, and losing to Italy.
Russia was eliminated from Euro 2020 after finishing last in Group B.
