WALES 0-4 DENMARK
Maehle smashes a left-footed shot past Ward
- Goals: Kasper Dolberg (€7.0m) x2, Joakim Maehle (€4.5m), Martin Braithwaite (€7.5m)
- Assists: Mikkel Damsgaard (€5.9m), Mathias Jensen (€5.9m), Andreas Cornelius (€6.0m)
Joakim Maehle (€4.5m) banked 12 points with his second goal in as many games as Denmark routed Wales to reach the EURO 2020 quarter-finals.
Having moved to right wing-back due to a second-half reshuffle, the defender found himself in acres in the Wales area after a through pass from Mathias Jensen (€5.9m).
Maehle’s first touch was heavy but he managed to sell Ben Davies (€5.5m) a dummy before getting the ball on his left foot to smash home.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side will face either the Netherlands or the Czech Republic at the quarter-final stage.
“Look at the support we had in Amsterdam. It’s completely nuts. The self-confidence and the courage we bring is something we must take even further. We’re not worried who we’re going to meet. We are focusing on ourselves and our qualities.” – Joakim Maehle
Despite a sloppy opening 25 minutes, Denmark took the lead in the 27th minute through a scintillating strike from Kasper Dolberg (€7.0m).
Maehle began the move with a defence-splitting pass to Mikkel Damsgaard (€5.9m). The attacking midfielder slipped the ball into Dolberg, who found the inside of Danny Ward‘s (€4.7m) left-hand post with a stunning effort from outside the box.
Dolberg scores his first of the evening
Dolberg almost had his brace five minutes later as Damsgaard danced to the byline before cutting it back for the striker, whose close-range effort was blocked by Ward.
He did add a second just after the interval, with substitute Neco Williams (€4.4m) at fault for Dolberg’s effort. Martin Braithwaite (€7.5m) advanced down the Welsh left before putting in a low cross which Williams attempted to clear but managed to put the ball into the path of the stand-in striker.
Dolberg, who was a replacement for the injured Yussuf Poulsen (€8.4m), made no mistake from seven yards out to double Denmark’s advantage. Hjulmand resevered praise for Dolberg in his post-match interview, saying:
“I have to say it was an amazing performance. I think we have a star striker in Kasper. He didn’t get to play too much at the beginning but I saw during training that he was fit.”
Despite appearing to leave the pitch just before the clock hit 60 minutes, Damsgaard was awarded six points with Uefa deciding he had hit the golden mark.
Maehle, who moved to right wing-back for the last 10 minutes after Nicolai Boilesen (€4.0m) replaced Jens Stryger (€4.5m), linked up excellently with Braithwaite in the area after 81 minutes to force the concession of a corner.
Braithwaite then hit the post minutes later as Denmark continued to break on Wales, as Robert Page’s men attempted to get a goal back. After Maehle fired into the roof of Ward’s net, Braithwaite got his goal following a lengthy VAR check for offside as Denmark ran out 4-0 winners.
“It’s hard to believe that this is reality. I admire the boys and the fact that we can keep fighting. No matter who plays, they play very well. The guys are true warriors. We are able to be flexible. Everything wasn’t perfect during the game but we improved and that’s something we’ve done several times. We played pretty well in the lead-up to this. We’ve prepared for this for a long time. The fact that we’ve played well has made us optimistic. We believed in each other and believe in the team.” – Kasper Hjulmand
Wales XI (4-2-3-1): Ward; Davies, Mepham, Rodon, C Roberts (N Williams 40′); Morrell (Wilson 58′), Allen; D James (Brooks 78′), Ramsey, Bale; Moore (Roberts 78′).
Denmark XI (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Vestergaard, Kjaer (Andersen 76′), Christensen; Maehle, Delaney (Norgaard 59′), Hjobjerg, Stryger (Boilesen 76′); Damsgaard (Jensen 59′), Braithwaite; Dolberg (Cornelius 68′).
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ITALY 2-1 AUSTRIA (A.E.T)
Chiesa fires past Bachmann
- Goals: Federico Chiesa (€7.0m), Matteo Pessina (€6.1m) | Sasa Kalajdzic
- Assists: Leonardo Spinazzola (€5.6m), Francesco Acerbi (€x.xm) | Louis Schaub
Substitute Federico Chiesa (€7.0m) is sure to have made a case for a start in the quarter-finals after inspiring Italy’s late-show win over Austra.
After being found in the area by Leonardo Spinazzola (€5.6m), Chiesa took control of the ball before getting it onto his left foot from a narrow angle and was one of only a few shining lights in a below-par performance despite the 2-1 win.
The winger then smacked an effort past Daniel Bachmann (€4.6m) into the side of the Austria keeper’s goal after 95 minutes.
Another substitute in Matteo Pessina (€6.1m) wrapped it up for Italy just before the first half of extra time ended.
A long Spinazzola ball found Lorenzo Insigne (€8.6m) on the left, with the winger’s cross going into a crowd of bodies in the Austria box.
Francesco Acerbi (€5.3m) managed to poke the ball into Pessina’s path, where the midfielder hit a left-footed effort into the opposite side of the net to Chiesa’s goal.
Pessina finds the inside of Bachmann’s net
That was Pessina’s second consecutive strike, having scored the Matchday 3 winner in a 1-0 victory against Wales.
Having already conceded an offside goal to Marko Arnautovic (€7.0m) in normal time, Italy were breached for real with 10 minutes of extra time remaining.
Arnautovic’s replacement Sasa Kalajdzic (€7.5m) stooped low to meet Louis Schaub‘s (€7.0m) corner at the near post, managing to steer a powerful effort past the Italian defence and Gianluigi Donnarumma (€5.6m).
Kalajdzic stoops to beat Donnarumma
Having failed to reach the levels we saw in the group stages, Italy just about managed to sneak past a stubborn Austria side.
Roberto Mancini’s side will now play either Belgium or Portugal in a quarter-final clash.
Italy XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Spinazzola, Acerbi, Bonucci, Di Lorenzo; Verratti (Locatelli 67′), Jorginho, Barella (Pessina 67′); Berardi (Chiesa 83′), Immobile (Belotti 83′), Insigne (Cristante 107′).
Austria XI (4-2-3-1): Bachmann; Alaba, Hinteregger, Dragovic, Lainer (Trimmel 114′); Grillitsch (Schaub 105′), X Schlager (Gregoritsch 105′); Baumgartner (Schopf 89′), Sabitzer, Laimer (Ilsanker 114′) ; Arnautovic (Kalajdzic 97′).
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2 years, 10 months agoWas Jorgino at fault for not being tight on the post? Or dont they do that anymore.