Denmark History
Denmark's
new generation rising
Of all the Scandinavian nations, Denmark's football traditions stretch back the
furthest. The Danish Football Association, founded in 1889, is one of the
world's oldest.
Olympic challenge
Founder members of FIFA in 1904, the Danes' international debut at the 1908
Olympics in London saw them beat France 9-0 in their first match and inflict an
even greater defeat on the French in the semi-final, a 17-1 win in which Sophus
Nielsen scored ten goals. It remains Denmark's record triumph. Defeat against
England in the final meant the Danes had to settle for silver, as happened
against the same opponents in the final four years later in Stockholm.
Lean period
After that initial flourish, the Danes' fortunes took a turn for the worse and
it was not until the 1948 Olympics in London that they reasserted themselves on
the international stage by taking the bronze medal. Although they won the gold
at the 1960 event, it was not until the advent of professionalism in 1978 that
the Danes began to make their mark in international football.
Superb Simonsen
Crucial to the 1970s revolution in Danish football was Allan Simonsen, the
country's first international football star. The 1977 European Footballer of the
Year inspired a generation of Danish talent and by the mid-1980s, Denmark were
rubbing shoulders with the world's finest.
Denmark reborn
In 1983, a Simonsen penalty against England at Wembley secured Denmark's first
appearance in a UEFA European Championship finals. Coached by Sepp Piontek and
boasting the talents of Preben Elkjær-Larsen, Morten Olsen and the 19-year-old
Michael Laudrup, the Danes did not disappoint in France, narrowly missing out on
a place in the final after losing on penalties to Spain.
World sensation
Two years later in Mexico, Denmark made their first FIFA World Cup finals
appearance and won the admiration of observers across the globe with their
scintillating first-round displays. However, after some great results, they then
went out of the tournament with a bang - losing 5-1 to Spain.
Miraculous luck
After a disappointing performance at the 1988 European Championship, Denmark
looked to have missed out on the 1992 finals in Sweden when they finished second
to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group. But the Yugoslavians' withdrawal
because of the Balkans conflict allowed them an eleventh-hour reprieve and what
followed was one of modern football's great fairy-tales.
Incredible tale
Inspired by the saves of Peter Schmeichel and the skills of Brian Laudrup, the
Danes grew in self-belief with every match. A 2-1 victory over France secured
their place in the semi-finals where they overcame the reigning champions, the
Netherlands, on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Cue to the final against Germany
where goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort made the Danish dream a wonderfully
outlandish reality.
Quarter-finalists
After failing to impress at EURO '96™, Denmark produced their best ever World
Cup performance in the 1998 finals in France, beating Nigeria 4-1 in the second
round before losing an exciting quarter-final 3-2 to Brazil - a match that
marked the international swansong of the Laudrup brothers.
Amazing victory
A much-changed squad did well to qualify for EURO 2000™ but the finals
themselves were a disappointment with Denmark going down to defeats by France,
the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The Danes bounced back to reach the 2002
World Cup finals, where they overcame France 2-0 in their final group game to
eliminate the holders before being overwhelmed by England.
Five-in-a-row
They topped a tight qualifying group to reach UEFA EURO 2004™, making it
five international final tournaments in succession.
Country Info
Denmark's
Viking passion
AREA: 43,094 sq km
POPULATION: 5,384,384
NEIGHBOURS: Germany, Sweden
LANGUAGES: Danish
CAPITAL CITY: Copenhagen
While there has been civilisation of some description in Denmark for the best part of 3,000 years, the roots of the modern nation only stretch back to the tenth century when Norwegian Viking chieftan Hardegon - from whom the Danish royal family is descended - brought the Jutland peninsula under his personal control.
Ambitious vikings
Showing the ambition of all great Viking clans, Hardegon's descendents went
on to play a major role in English politics in the following century until the
power of the Danish monarchy wilted. As the royal dynasties of Denmark, Sweden
and Norway intermarried, the old kingdom of Denmark eventually became part of a
Scandinavian super-state - the Union of Kalmar - in the 14th century.
Union dissolved
The union dissolved in 1523 when Sweden elected its own king, but Norway was
to remain under Danish rule for another three centuries. However, Denmark's
trading prosperity in that period was to dwindle after a number of expensive and
unsuccessful wars with Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Wartime neutrality
Warfare rarely proved to Denmark's advantage - the capital city Copenhagen
was ruined by British forces during the Napoleonic wars - and it was
unsurprising when Denmark's young constitutional monarchy opted to remain
neutral in the first world war.
Model democracy
A similar plea of neutrality was not accepted during the second world war as
Denmark was forced to cede to the Axis powers, but the nation was to emerge
relatively unscathed from the conflict, developing into a model social
democracy, with a strong commitment to welfare for all citizens.
Footballing glory
The Danish Football Association was formed in 1899, but it was not until
1992 that they made their lasting contribution to European football. The team
was called into the finals of EURO '92 after the break-up of the former
Yugoslavia and stunned everyone by winning the competition, defeating Germany
2-0 in the final.
Today year 2004 Denmark team
Player name list
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| Group C | |||||||
| PLD | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | |
|
Sweden |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
|
Denmark |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
|
Italy |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
|
Bulgaria |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 |