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Wales 0-4 Denmark: Dragons knocked out of Euros as Kasper Dolberg runs riot – 5 talking points


Kasper Dolberg broke Welsh hearts with a sensational brace as Denmark cruised through to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals with a 4-0 win.

The Nice striker scored in both halves, with Joachim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite putting the result to bed with goals late on, as Wales suffered their biggest ever defeat in the European Championships.

Dolberg took Wales by surprise with his first effort, cutting in with his right foot before curling one past Leicester City keeper Danny Ward.

The 23-year-old’s second came moments after the restart when he latched onto a poor clearance from Liverpool defender Neco Williams to fire home.

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Maehle put the icing on the cake for Denmark in the 88th minute, just moments before Wales’ Harry Wilson was shown a red card.

And, finally, Barcelona striker Braithwaite netted a fourth in stoppage time.

Here are five talking points from the last-16 clash as Wales’ Euro 2020 dream comes to an end and Denmark set up a tie with either the Czech Republic or the Netherlands.

A happy hunting ground for Dolberg

Kasper Dolberg hit the back of the net for Denmark against Wales
Kasper Dolberg hit the back of the net for Denmark against Wales

The Danish striker managed only six goals in 28 appearances for Nice last season – not enough for the striker of a club keen to mix it up with the big boys of French football.

But back in his old stomping ground in Amsterdam, where he spent three happy seasons with Ajax, the 23-year-old forward had a point to prove – and my word did he prove it.

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The striker was arguably Denmark’s best player all game and his crowning moment came midway through the first half when he fired past Danny Ward to open the scoring with a wonderful effort.

He followed this up after the break when notching his brace to put the game to bed.

Tough one to take for Williams

Neco Williams's poor clearance led to a Denmark goal
Neco Williams’s poor clearance led to a Denmark goal

Liverpool defender Neco Williams learnt just how brutal international football can be this Saturday.

The 20-year-old was named on the bench for the last-16 clash but was hurried on after Connor Roberts pulled up with an injury.

Williams has represented Wales a fair few times already despite his young age.

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But his experience resulted in a costly mistake that will live long in his memory.

An incisive Denmark break saw the ball played across the Wales box and into the path of Williams, who was required to clear the ball while off balance.

Williams’ poor clearance fell to the feet of Dolberg who took full advantage of the mistake to fire home his second of the night.

The goal was huge in the grand scheme of things as it crushed Welsh hopes of a comeback, with complaints from Dragons stars over a foul in the build-up only adding to the sense of injustice among the squad.

Bale and Ramsey flatter to deceive

Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey struggled to impress against the Danes
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey struggled to impress against the Danes

They were the two best players on the pitch, on paper, this Saturday.

But as the old saying goes, football matches aren’t won on paper and, instead, the Danes successfully nullified both Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.

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Real Madrid forward Bale was lively early doors and forced a dive from Kasper Schmeichel with a wayward shot.

But that was as good as it got for the Dragons, who managed just one shot on target all game and never really looked like scoring.

Battle of the Foxes keepers

Kasper Schmeichel dives to his right as the ball goes wide

In an unusual turn of events, especially at this stage of the tournament, both goalkeepers play for the same club team in Leicester City.

Kasper Schmeichel is of course the Foxes’ number one and played a staggering 51 times in all competitions for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season.

Danny Ward on the other hand played only five times for Leicester in the same period.

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The Euros are unpredictable and so often club form goes out the window in knockout matches with so much at risk.

Gareth Bale did his best to test Foxes keeper Schmeichel early on, while Ward faced his fair share of shots from the Danes in both halves.

But in the end, it was Schmeichel who pulled rank by coming out on top with a clean sheet.

Wales show class with Eriksen tribute

Gareth Bale and Simon Kjaer pose with a Christian Eriksen shirt
Gareth Bale and Simon Kjaer pose with a Christian Eriksen shirt

Ahead of the last-16 clash, Wales and Denmark paid a classy tribute to Christian Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest in his nation’s opening group game against Finland.

Wales, on behalf of captain Gareth Bale, gifted Denmark skipper Simon Kjaer and co. with a Dragons shirt featuring Eriksen’s name and number on the back.

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The pair posed with the framed shirt before kick-off in Amsterdam.

Kjaer’s fast actions helped save the life of his teammate when he collapsed suddenly back on June 12.

Eriksen has since been successfully operated on to have a heart-starter inserted and is believed to be watching Denmark progress through the competition from home.





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