European Football Championship
Denmark seeks sex appeal against Germany
Coach Kasper Hjulmand believes his Danes have a chance against the DFB team. Photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
“Danish Dynamite” has not yet ignited at this European Championship. The national coach and his players are hoping for an explosion of performance before the European Championship round of 16 match against Germany. Can something like that happen at the push of a button?
With two menu bowls and a sugar-free cola in his hands, Denmark’s national coach Kasper Hjulmand’s last questions about the shocking European Championship clash against Germany. On the night in Munich, the former coach of FSV Mainz 05 suddenly stopped short before leaving on the bus.
“No chance? In football? Of course we have a chance,” Hjulmand answered a journalist’s question after the painful 0:0 draw against Serbia. “Germany is the clear favorite, but we have a great team.” The Danes have to prove that on Saturday (9 p.m.) in the European Championship round of 16 in Dortmund.
But the team wasn’t that great against the tactically and skillfully limited Serbs. And playmaker Christian Eriksen & Co. hadn’t been that great against England and Slovenia either. “Denmark is currently one of the unsexiest teams in the finals,” said “BT” at home. Local meetings are more exciting than the performances of the offensive around Eriksen’s Manchester United teammate and 70 million euro striker Rasmus Højlund.
The Danes hope for a “big game”
But how can a team with no sex appeal hope to pull off a surprise against a euphoric European Championship host? “We defended very well, that was the basis for progressing,” said RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, praising the defense. The heart of the defense in front of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (RSC Anderlecht) is formed by center-backs Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City), who previously worked for Hoffenheim, among others, and Andreas Christensen (FC Barcelona), who once played for Mönchengladbach.
But what gives the sensational European champions of 1992 hope even more than a solid defense ahead of their next encounter with their final opponents Germany is the confidence that they will improve their performance against a nominally great team that also wants to control the game itself. “Germany is the clear favorite,” Hjulmand admitted, “but we have played great games against great opponents.”
“Danish Dynamite”? Or rather firecrackers?
In the Nations League, for example, the Danes have beaten France twice in a row. In the 2021 European Championship semi-finals, they only lost to England after a goal by Harry Kane in extra time. “It’s going to be big. We play for the big moments, and the fans enjoy big moments,” said Thomas Delaney.
The former Dortmund and Bremen player can hope to start in defensive midfield against Germany following Morten Hjulmand’s suspension. Christian Nørgaard and Mathias Jensen (both FC Brentford) would be two other possible substitutes.
The Danes have to improve after progressing without a win of their own and thanks to the better fair play comparison with the Slovenians. The national team, once dubbed the “Danish Dynamite” for its refreshing attacking football, tended to be more of a firecracker at this European Championship.
Hjulmand praises Nagelsmann four times
“We will definitely score more goals,” said Eriksen confidently. The playmaker suffered a cardiac arrest at the European Championships three years ago. Now he is experiencing his own personal finals fairytale and is even the record international player with 133 appearances. “Everything is possible. They are also vulnerable if you play them correctly,” said Vestergaard.
But of course there is a lot of respect for Julian Nagelsmann and his team. He is a “super coach,” Hjulmand repeated four times. “Germany is one of the absolute favorites.”
Goalkeeper Schmeichel, whose father Peter was in goal in 1992, described Germany as a “huge football nation”. The Germans are “probably the favourites”, he continued, “but we have been in situations like this before as outsiders.” And we have mastered them.