Wales’ final game of this protracted international break saw Denmark visit the Cardiff City Stadium in a second consecutive home UEFA Nations League fixture.
It was a much better performance for Craig Bellamy’s side than in the reverse fixture, where they lost 2-0 in Copenhagen, but they still were narrowly beaten 1-0 here by the second of two Scandinavian visitors in three days.
The result leaves Wales in third place in the group on head-to-head record alone with just two games to go; the trip to Norway, and the visit of holders Portugal.
A tetchy first half
It wasn’t a first half that will be remembered for its entertainment, or anything else for that matter. There was a feeling that neither side wanted to lose this game, understandably given their standings within the group, and how tight the trio including Norway were going into the game.
There was a lack of major chances from either side in the first half. The main Danish threat came through Mohamed Daramy and Gustav Isaksen, with Rasmus Hojlund limited to a couple of shots that were quickly blocked by an alert Welsh rearguard.
Daramy particularly grew into the game as the half went on. The Reims winger had a couple of bright moments later in the half, leaving Ben Cabango, Ben Davies and Neco Williams in his wake at times. Ultimately, nothing came of it in the first half.
Wales looked fairly blunt in the first half. Most of their attacking play was focused on the right flank, but the aforementioned Williams and Brennan Johnson failed to produce anything of note, despite Williams multiple cross attempts from deep positions.
A draw was a fair reflection of the first half, but it left everyone in the ground wanting more.
Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward the key man in the second half
The second half brought a lot more entertainment than the first. Hojlund and Isaksen forced two quality saves from Danny Ward, and Hojlund flashed the ball across the box yet Isaksen was unable to meet it, and this was all in the first 10 minutes in the second half.
Ward then went from hero to zero. After making a mess of a pass out of the back and playing the ball to Isaksen inside his own box, Ward then lunged to recover, failing to get there before Isaksen, and bringing the Danish attacker down to concede a penalty.
Hojlund then coolly converted and celebrated in front of the away fans while Ward remonstrated with the referee.
Similarly to in the first half, Wales failed to offer anything of note in the attacking phases in the second. They eventually switched things up by sending on Keiffer Moore, and going more direct, but Bellamy waited until after the goal had already been conceded, by which point it was too little too late.
How did the Wales performance compare to the reverse fixture?
Something Bellamy bemoaned after the reverse fixture in Copenhagen last week was the gaps between the lines in his team on the day. The Wales boss specifically mentioned not recognising his side on the day, and this was something they had clearly worked on ahead of this fixture.
Wales were a lot more structured defensively. Those gaps between the lines that haunted Bellamy in the first game were, on the most part, not present for this game. Denmark struggled to break through Wales for large periods of the game, and their main chances, through Isaksen and Hojlund, came from quick, direct counter-attacks, rather than a spell of possession which resulted in an opportunity.
In an attacking sense, it was another performance which left a lot to be desired. The attacking trio of Sorba Thomas, Lewis Koumas and Johnson were unable to generate any high-quality chances between the three of them, and none of them looked particularly like scoring in either half.
Not much changed with the substitutions. Mark Harris replaced Koumas but was largely ineffective. Johnson then made way for Wes Burns, who made little effect. Thomas saw out the 90 minutes but was joined late on by Moore as Wales tried to play more directly. Moore did offer something different, offering a previously unavailable aerial threat, but he simply didn’t have enough time to make a real difference.
Where does this leave Wales?
There are two games remaining in the group phase in this season’s Nations League, and this result leaves Wales with work to do in those two fixtures if they want to remain in League A. A trip to Oslo and the visit of holders Portugal will prove very tough tasks, but if they can secure a point against Norway, and if Denmark can do them a favour against the same opponents on the final matchday, then they’ll at least avoid finishing bottom of their group. However, remaining in third place wouldn’t eradicate the threat of relegation back to League B, as they’d then need to face a play-off against a second place side from a group in League B.
Bellamy will be quietly confident of his side’s chances. Wales have given a good account of themselves in three of the four fixtures in this international break, and with players to return from injury before the final two fixtures, they’ve got a fantastic chance to make some Welsh history in this group.
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