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Man of the Match: Christian Eriksen was pretty much the only player on the pitch who created space cleanly. He also had a good shot, but his shot was saved.
crucial moment: Kasper Schmeichel’s saves at the end of the game. Although these were shots that a goalkeeper with his record and experience had to save.
You will also remember him: Aleksandar Mitrovic, not in a positive sense. The former Anderlecht striker had a very unpleasant match, scoring… 0 goals. This is not what Serbian fans expect from their captain.
In the last group match, Denmark had two points and Serbia had one. Denmark needed a draw to advance to the next round, while Serbia had to win. So there was pressure. At least, you would think so.
Nervousness seemed to prevail at the start of the match. The game was chaotic and there was no concrete goal danger. Denmark regained possession and fifteen minutes later they had their first chance. Alexander Ba rose high at the far post but headed wide. The Danish winger called for a penalty as he felt his shirt being pulled but the French referee did not respond, and rightly so.
The Danes tried to increase the pressure further. After some mistakes in the Serbian backline, Christian Eriksen received the ball and goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic converted it into a corner kick. So much for the chances in the first half. All the intensity was gone as well and Serbia could not create a threat before halftime. Aleksandar Mitrovic’s half-shot – his header was blocked – was the only Serbian goal danger we could notice. That’s by the way, for lack of anything better.
Serbia national team coach Dragan Stojkovic realized at halftime that this was a must. He brought in Dusan Tadic and Luka Jovic, the latter of whom scored a point against Slovenia. Also new blood from Denmark. Andreas Skov Olsen from Club Brugge came to the team and immediately showed what he expected.
The Nerazzurri winger twice dribbled past his marker in a short space of time. His low pass failed to find his teammate the first time, and his shot a few minutes later deflected towards the far corner and hit the body of the Serb. Denmark was also the better team fresh off their coffee, thanks to Skov Olsen’s drive, but it was the net that was shaky on the other side. Unfortunately, Joachim Andersen fired the ball into his own net, but VAR ruined the Serbian game. Substitute Jovic was offside before scoring.
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Another Jupiler Pro League player took the field in Munich on the hour, along with Kasper Dolberg. A little over ten minutes later, the Anderlecht striker fell in the penalty area after a shove from Milenkovic, but referee François Lexittier did not give in. Nerves were even more frayed. The match was still nothing to write home about, but it was exciting. The Serbian team, who had almost been eliminated by a draw, came more and more. Mitrovic missed a great chance and soon after, the former Anderlecht striker also had a penalty, but he didn’t get it – mainly because of his dramatic dive.
Serbia was almost eliminated. Dusan Vlahovic, who came on with about twenty minutes to go, headed in a header. The Serbs were desperate. Dolberg eventually equalised, but a shot from the Serbian prevented a 1-0 lead. Danish fans held their breath again when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had another chance in injury time. The former Genk midfielder’s pressure was too weak and Schmeichel twice won the ball with relative ease.
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Denmark: Schmeichel; Andersen; Christensen; Vestergaard; Ba (77′ Christiansen); Hojbjerg; Wheelman (77′ Delaney); Mehler; Eriksen (88′ Poulsen); Hojlund (59′ Dolberg); Wind (46′ Skov Olsen)
Serbia: Rajkovic; Velikovic; Milenkovic; Pavlovic; Mijajlovic (73′ Mladenovic); Ilic (67′ Vlahovic); Gudli (46′ Jovic); Zivkovic; Samardzic (46′ Tadic); Lukic (87′ Milinkovic-Savic); Mitrovic
Target: /
Yellow Cards: 4′ Milenkovic; 27′ Winder, 30′ Yumande, 83′ Alexander Mitrovic
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