Denmark cruise past Wales to reach quarter-final
Jannik Vestergaard’s Denmark secured a spot in the quarter-finals at Euro 2020 with a comfortable 4-0 win over Wales on Saturday.
The Saints defender will now wait to learn who he’ll be up against in the last eight, with The Red and Whites facing the winner of Netherlands versus Czech Republic.
Swapping the home comforts of Parken Stadium for Johan Cruyff Arena for the Round of 16 clash, the Danes were still roared on by 16,000 supporters in Amsterdam.
Hushed in the early exchanges as Wales began brightly, Gareth Bale fired a strike just wide from 20 yards which forced Kasper Hjulmand into a tactical change.
Pushing Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen into midfield to holster Aaron Ramsey, Jannik Vestergaard and Simon Kjær then took control of their defensive third as Denmark moved up the pitch.
Sensing an opening goal was coming, the deadlock was broken on 27 minutes when Kasper Dolberg expertly picked out the bottom corner with a curling effort from the edge of the box.
Staying on the front foot, Vestergaard looked to cause a nuisance in the opposition’s box from a host of first-half set-pieces, but a single-goal was the difference at the halfway stage.
However, the fairytale story of Euro 2020 showed no sign of ending, as just three minutes after the restart Dolberg capitalised on a poor Neco Williams clearance to collect his second of the night.
Looking to secure progression and equal their best performance at a European Championship since 2004, Denmark did so in style as a dominant display was rounded off late on by Joakim Mæhle and Martin Braithwaite strikes, as four goals were scored for a second successive match.
Claiming a first clean sheet of the tournament, Vestergaard and Denmark will now look to continue their romantic-run in the competition next Saturday in Baku.
