Denmark may not be among the favourites to win the 2015 European Under-21 Championship having never progressed further than the semi-finals and having failed to qualify for the 2013 tournament, but remaining unbeaten in their qualifying group of six teams before beating Iceland in the playoffs this time around means they certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Route to the Finals
From their ten games in qualification Group 2, the young Danes won eight and drew two to reach the playoffs ahead of second placed Russia who were four points adrift of Jess Thorup’s men.
They were the top-scoring side in the group stage of the qualification process and although they were in one of only two groups of six teams and so played two more games than most other groups, they did score more than England who boasted group stage top scorer Saido Berahino and also competed in a group of six.
Big wins against group minnows Estonia and Andorra certainly contributed to their overall goalscoring record but they also managed six goals in their two meetings with closest rivals Russia.
For the ease with which they sailed through the group stage, the playoff against Eyjolfur Sverrisson’s Iceland side proved much more difficult and Denmark emerged victorious from that tie in the most dramatic of circumstances.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Denmark, the two sides almost repeated the scoreline in the second leg until Nicolaj Thomsen finally broke the deadlock for the Danes in the 90th minute.
Iceland amazingly managed an equaliser three minutes later from the penalty spot but it was Denmark who prevailed on away goals and booked their place in the 2015 tournament in the Czech Republic.
The Scandinavians have been drawn in Group A alongside the Czech Republic, as well as Germany and Serbia and will take part in the opening game of the tournament against the hosts on 17th June.
Past Record
Denmark have now qualified for the championships six times, with their first appearance being in 1978.
In their five previous outings have reached the semi finals once, the quarter finals twice and crashed out at the group stage ton two occasions.
Having failed to qualify in 2013 they will be looking to improve on their 2011 campaign when they finished bottom of their group.
Key Player
Thorup has several very promising players at his disposal including Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen, Augsburg’s Pierre Hojbjerg and Ajax’s Viktor Fischer, all of whom were in the squad for the senior team’s latest 2016 European Championship qualifier against Serbia which the Danes won 2-0.
The top player is RB Liepzig’s Yussuf Poulsen who got his first senior goal in the aforementioned Serbia game. The tall forward netted four times during the Under-21 qualifying campaign and made three assists to underline his contribution to the team.
The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals in 65 appearances for the 2. Bundesliga side and may look to use this tournament to put himself in the shop window.
The Coach
Thorup himself is a former striker and his playing days took him to Germany, Austria and Norway before he moved into coaching with Danish side Esbjerg.
Following stints as assistant and caretaker at EfB he eventually took charge in 2011 and guided the side to a Danish Cup victory in 2013.
The 45-year-old left the club at the end of that season to take his current role and now has his first opportunity to guide Denmark at a major tournament.
So although they may not be as glamorous a prospect as the likes of Italy and Germany, do not underestimate the ability of this high-scoring Denmark side led by a coach who is eager to impress.
