Group B: Harder redeems Denmark in the “Northern duel” with Finland

After a 4-0 defeat against Germany at the start, Denmark managed to beat Finland 1-0 (0-0) thanks to a goal by star striker Pernille Harder . The Danes still have their place in the quarter-finals in their own hands, while Finland has already been eliminated.

After a sweaty 90 minutes at temperatures of more than 25 degrees Celsius in Milton Keynes, the Danes were relieved and cheered on Tuesday evening (07/12/22). “Now the tournament really begins for us. We’re already looking forward to the next game,” said offensive player Nadia Nadim after the final whistle.

With three points now, the reigning runners-up European champions can make it into the knockout clear round.

In contrast, Finland, who lost 4-1 to Spain on the first day of the game, have already been eliminated from the European Championship. Even with a win in the last preliminary round game of group B on Saturday (9 p.m. CEST) against Germany, second place can no longer be achieved. The Finns last reached the quarterfinals in 2009, in 2017 they did not qualify for the European Championship.

Finland to behave – Denmark’s calm pays off

Denmark, runners-up in the European Championship in 2017, got in their own way offensively for a long time and often in the second tournament game, but in the end they were able to rely on Harder’s nose for goals. Coach Lars Söndergaard said before the game that you have to stay calm in the game and wait patiently for chances. In the end he was right. “Such games can be mentally very difficult, so I think today was also a win from a mental point of view,” said the coach after the game.

Finland, who suffered their first defeat in the fourth European Championship game against their northern European opponents (two wins in 2005 and 2009, one draw in 2013), did not give up their counter-attacking tactics until they were down almost 20 minutes before the end. That paid off.

Corona case with the Finns – Nadim in Denmark’s starting eleven

Tuija Hyyruynen (positive corona test) and the ailing Adelina Engman were missing from the Finns, with Denmark Nadim got their chance from the start in the 4-3-3 system. The striker had been heavily criticized before the start of the European Championship because of her commitment to the World Cup hosts Qatar. Sara Thrige was also new to the Söndergaard team. Kathrine Kühl was suspended after receiving a yellow card against Germany.

A lot of struggle, a lot of cramp before the break

In the first half, both teams were nervous after their opening defeats: Denmark quickly took control after the kick-off, had a lot of possession and launched a few attacks down the wings, but the defensively-oriented Finns only allowed less dangerous shots. Denmark’s best chance came in the tenth minute from six meters out, but Finland’s keeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela made a strong save in the left corner. Teammate Harder, formerly at VfL Wolfsburg and now at Chelsea, was unable to put herself in the limelight – well defended by the Finns.

After a shattered first 45 minutes, we went into the cabins without a goal. Although Denmark had the upper hand in the field and also had more ball possession and shots (10:5), the bottom line was that the attacking performance was disappointing – as in the game against the DFB team. Finland had had four (!) ball actions in the opponent’s penalty area. Nevertheless, there was encouraging applause from the fans from both camps.

Harder provides a decisive goal with “Abstauber”.

The hopes for a playful improvement after the change of sides were initially disappointed: Denmark dominated the game, but still had quite a hard time against the compact defense of the Finns. Coach Söndergaard made a logical change in his offensive: Sofie Bredgaard came on for striker Nadim after just under an hour, and Sofie Svava replaced her teammate Thrige on the wing.

Denmark took more risks in the closing stages: in the 69th minute, Harder sent Karen Holmgaard, who had just come on as a substitute, into the penalty area from midfield, but Korpela made another great save from her shot. In the 72nd minute, Harder released her team from the great pressure: After a cross from the right and a header from Holmgaard on the crossbar, the 29-year-old captain shot away from close range. It was the 69th goal in 136 international matches for the Danish record shooter.

Denmark’s keeper Christensen holds the victory

Finland switched to attack in the final phase, but didn’t get the equalizer they had hoped for. The first and only chance came in stoppage time when Jenny-Julia Danielsson forced a brilliant save from Danish keeper Lene Christensen, who had not been tested before. Goalscorer Harder had just been substituted due to a head injury, after the final whistle she was named “player of the game”. UEFA’s reasoning: “Their quality and goal made the difference in an incredibly close game.”