Denmark beat Wales 2-0 at Parken Stadium in the UEFA Nations League, League A, on Saturday evening. The hosts took three points from their second match of the campaign, while Wales remain winless after two defeats.
And here's the thing about the opening exchanges — Denmark came close but not in the way anyone expected. Gustav Isaksen thought he'd opened the scoring in the twenty-fourth minute, only for the goal to be cancelled out by VAR. It was a moment that set the tone for a match where chances would come, but not always when you'd expect them.
The breakthrough arrived from the most unlikely source. Ben Davies turned the ball into his own net in the forty-eighth minute, giving Denmark the lead they'd been pressing for. To be fair, Wales had looked organised enough at the back, but that kind of error changes everything. Isaksen added a second in the sixty-sixth minute, and by then the contest was effectively over.
We'd called for a home win beforehand, and the 59% confidence felt right in retrospect. Denmark weren't at their fluid best, but they found a way through when it mattered. Wales had nothing to lose and played accordingly, but they couldn't handle the pressure when it came.
The statistics tell their own story. Denmark enjoyed 62% possession and registered four shots on target from twelve attempts inside the penalty area. Wales managed just three shots on target from eight attempts overall. The hosts created one big chance compared to two for the visitors, but chances created means little when you're not converting.
The result moves Denmark to three points in third place, keeping them in touching distance of the top spot. Wales sit in fourth with zero points from two games — a difficult position for a side that had hoped for more from this campaign.
