Wales vs Denmark
European Championship this season
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Preview: Wales vs Denmark
As Wales and Denmark clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena, the Round of 16 promises a captivating showdown, with the Dragons seeking redemption and the Danish Dynamite riding high on a confidence-boosting victory.
Wales
Ten-men Wales slipped into the last 16, despite losing to Italy on the final day of the group stage. Having already qualified for the next round, Italian coach Roberto Mancini made eight changes to his squad for the game against Wales.
Matteo Pessina, a late replacement to the squad, scored the game’s only goal in the 39th minute. A glancing touch off Marco Verratti’s free kick angled across the face of the goal found its way in after beating goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Italy nearly doubled their lead, but Federico Bernardeschi saw his free kick hit the woodwork just minutes before Ethan Ampadu was shown a straight red card in the 55th minute for a reckless challenge. Ampadu left the pitch with a look of shock, marking a turning point in the match.
Throughout the game, it was all about Italy until Gareth Bale flashed a volley well above the crossbar. The match ended 1-0 in favor of Italy. Despite the defeat, Wales advanced to the last sixteen, sharing four points with Switzerland but boasting a better goal difference of +1 after securing one win, one draw, and one loss.
Struggling to find form against the Azzurri, the Dragons will return after two defeats in their last six games across all competitions, recording a WLDDWL streak. Rob Page will hope for a more spirited effort from his side when they return with a probable 3-4-3 formation on Saturday.
Kieffer Moore, who was dropped for the game against Italy, is expected to return to the starting lineup for this fixture.
Denmark
Meanwhile, Denmark picked up a 4-1 win over Russia and finished second in Group B despite having only 3 points. A goal difference of +1 saw the Danish Dynamite slip through the cracks and into the knock-out stage, ahead of Finland and Russia with -2 and -5 respectively.
Russia’s Golovin forced a save off goalkeeper Schmeichel after a brilliant solo run from the halfway line. A moment later, Hoejbjerg saw his vicious long-range effort miss the mark by a couple of inches.
Minutes later, a fantastic effort by Mikkel Damsgaard (38’) left Russia's goalkeeper Safonov rooted to the spot as he watched the ball dip into goal. A gift from the Russian defense, in the shape of a wayward back-pass, left Yussuf Poulsen (59’) with the opportunity for an easy finish.
Eleven minutes later, Dzyuba (70’ P) pulled one back for the Russians from the penalty spot. But a fine long-range effort by Andreas Christensen (79’) would see Denmark’s two-goal lead restored.
In the final moments, a well-executed counter-attack saw the Russian defense in a panicked retreat. But little could be done as Joakim Maehle (82’) scored the fourth and final goal for the Danes, sealing a 4-1 victory.
A probable 3—4—3 formation could be seen again from coach Kasper Hjulmand on Saturday. The Danish Dynamite returns behind three victories in six games across all competitions: WDWLLW.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.