opinion
Nobody would have believed that Denmark would still reach the round of 16. At least now, the underdogs have captured the hearts of the audience. That inevitably reminds of the year 1992, when the successor Denmark unexpectedly became European champion.
Denmark’s start to the 2021 European Championship was bumpy, if not shocking. Not because of the playful performance. In the very first game against Finland, Christian Eriksen went into cardiac arrest, an unbelievable misfortune. The shaken Danes continued to play anyway, which earned Uefa great criticism.
It is hardly surprising that they left the field with 0: 1 and also suffered a defeat in the following game against Belgium. Nobody expected to progress, but last Tuesday Denmark played their way into the round of 16 with a brilliant match – and showed what they can really do.
Will the EM ’92 be repeated?
It almost seems like the 1992 European Championships will be repeated for Denmark. When Yugoslavia was withdrawn from the tournament just ten days before the start of the Balkan conflict, Denmark moved up with little hope. Many players thought they would play three group games and then have a few days off before the season starts. There was no round of 16 back then and suddenly the Danes were in the semi-finals against the Netherlands – and in the end they even became European champions. They owed this to the coach Richard Møller Nielsen, who was named the best coach in the world that same year.
A stroke of fate as a motivator
Even then, the tournament was overshadowed by a stroke of fate. Player Kim Vilfort initially dropped out due to his daughter Line’s leukemia and returned to the semifinals at her request. It was he who scored the 2-0 win against reigning world champions Germany in the final and gave the country the title. The squad wanted to win for them too.
Daughter Line saw how the dad became European champion, but passed away that same year. Fortunately, Christian Eriksen did not die on the pitch due to the quick reaction of captain Simon Kjaer. But the team has found itself again and also wants to win for the comrade with heart disease. They showed that in the game against Russia. And one more child was allowed to watch the father become European champion on TV. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was six years old when his father Peter Schmeichel also won the European Championship title in goal. Kasper has big shoes to fill.
The success of the coach
The Danish team’s success can always be attributed to their coaches. Richard Møller Nielsen, who died in 2014, was considered stubborn but perfectly prepared. As if he had just been waiting for this day. Kasper Hjulmand, on the other hand, is considered a level-headed and reflective person whose horizon extends beyond football. It is said that interpersonal values are just as important to the 49-year-old as sporting success.
But like his predecessor from ’92, he doesn’t take himself that seriously. The team, the club or even the whole country are always the focus of his work. Both coaches were particularly distinguished by the fact that they showed a special level of trust in their players.
The Danes know how to party
Anyone who knows Denmark knows that the Danes have always had good celebrations. If you believe striker Flemming Povlsen, they celebrated all night and drank a lot of beer – and the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen exploded last Tuesday, as if Denmark had already brought the title home.
They also didn’t miss the opportunity to sing: “We are red, we are white, we are Danish dynamite” was the sound of the tones then as now. The Russian coach Stanislaw Salamowitsch Tschertschessow had almost no chance to speak against the choir during the television interview on Tuesday and had to smile a little despite the defeat.
The Danes always show solidarity – in society as well as in football and that is exactly what the audience enjoys and is particularly important in times of the pandemic. If they don’t win either, then at least the Danish national team is already leaving the field as the winners of the hearts. If they keep their fighting spirit, the fairy tale of ’92 could repeat itself for the small country. But maybe that’s what we could use in these extraordinary times: an extraordinary European champion.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
