Right, that’s it from me. Stick around on site for all the reports and reaction. Thanks for your company and the deluge of emails – apologies for not getting round to them all. And for now, cheerio!
Here’s Paul Doyle’s report on an exhilarating night in Copenhagen:
There was a fair bit of ale spilled in the celebrations …
Stat!
2 - Denmark are the first team in European Championship history to reach the knockout stages of the competition having lost their first two group stage games. Recovery. #EURO2020
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 21, 2021
Hard not to feel emotional after that. After everything the Denmark squad have been through, with the pressure on in the second half, to produce that performance was pretty special.
“Whenever a manager complains about fixture congestion, timing of matches, tiredness, etc all the pundits weigh in saying that you should never give players excuses for under-performing because they’ll take them,” writes David Wall. “But the Danes are giving the lie to that dogma. If any team had an excuse to under-perform it would have been them. Instead they’ve risen to the special challenges thrown up for them, and are going to be rewarded. I’d be worried if i was in the Welsh camp.”
It’s not really the story but …
Last 16: secured! ☑️
— England (@England) June 21, 2021
Monday's results mean the #ThreeLions are guaranteed a place in the #EURO2020 knockout stages. pic.twitter.com/cOr0GWo5ww
The Danish players form a huddle and there’s an official in the middle refreshing his live score app to make sure the full-time whistle has gone in St Petersburg … and once confirmation comes through the party can start.
Full-time: Russia 1-4 Denmark
PEEP! PEEEEP! PEEEEEEEEP!!! All over and what an achievement. Denmark are through to the knockout stages to face Wales in Amsterdam.
90 min: Three minutes added on. Three minutes between Denmark and the last 16.
89 min: It feels trite to say they have “bounced back” … but the way Denmark have performed in the two games since that awful afternoon just nine days ago is really quite remarkable. They’ve been brilliant in this second half and you have to hope that Christian Eriksen has been watching and enjoying every minute. The sense of togetherness has been palpable in Parken tonight.
86 min: “I bet I’m not the only Welshman with that sinking feeling,” writes Arwen Jones.
85 min: Delaney is replaced by Jensen. Cornelius is on for Braithwaite. “Brilliant game,” writes Nick Parish. “What’s really impressed me about Denmark is that even when it was 2-1 and they were only one Russian goal away from going out, they didn’t try to defend the game out but kept on attacking. And as a reward their fans can now sing their hearts out for the last 10 minutes instead of biting their fingernails off. Great to see.”
83 min: So only Finland can poop the party now. And Lukaku has just doubled Belgium’s lead. That could be that.
GOAL! Russia 1-4 (Mæhle 82)
I think Denmark might have won this. Russia get caught forward at a set-piece and the left-wing-back is away. He uses his runners by not using them and slots home Denmark’s fourth. What a scoreline.
Updated
GOAL! Russia 1-3 Denmark (Christensen 80)
What a goal! What a goal! Saforov made a couple of excellent blocks as Russia found themselves scrambled, but it broke to the Chelsea defender 25 yards out and he thunders – thunders – an exocet of a shot into the roof of the net.
Updated
80 min: … and Christensen’s header is brilliantly saved.
79 min: Diveev flicks a Stryger Larsen free-kick wide for a corner …
78 min: As it stands? Denmark are heading to Amsterdam and that meeting with Bale and co.
77 min: More cheers from the stands as news filters through from St Petersburg, a little more restrained this time. But this time Belgium are ahead.
76 min: “Re the Danish fans: they are singing ‘We are red. We are white. We stand together. Side by side,’” writes Thomas Hougaard. “It’s the refrain from the official song for Denmark’s 1986 World Cup campaign (which they should have won, by the way. What a team.) It was/is called Re-Sepp-ten, meaning ‘the recipe’ but spelled wrongly to include the name of then manager Sepp Piontek. Regarding ‘scenes’: It doesn’t translate well. If someone were to say “absolute scenes in Parken” it would be most correct to say “Publikum i Parken går amok.” (The Parken audience goes wild/runs amok). So there you go.”
74 min: A Denmark corner is swung in and Safolov drops the ball in the middle of a circle of eight players. Minor chaos ensues but Russia manage to scramble the ball away.
73 min: Norgaard replaced Damsgaard.
72 min: So Russia, who really should be down to 10 men, are back to being a goal away from the last 16.
GOAL! Russia 1-2 Denmark (Dzyuba 70)
The big man makes no mistake.
Updated
Penalty!
Vestergaard clumsily trips Sobolev in the box and the referee points to the spot!
Updated
68 min: The Parken crowd begin to lose its collective mind again as news filters through of a possible Belgian goal …
67 min: Here’s Peter Mortensen on our earlier question on “scenes”: “Scener would be the translations perhaps dependent on precisely what ‘scenes’ means in the English sentence? And the Danish words for a Russian gift/present is ... en russisk gave!”
65 min: The already-booked Kudryashov hauls down Dolberg – the most nailed-on yellow card you’ll ever see – but the referee takes a sympathetic view and lets him off the hook.
64 min: Gorgeous interplay between Braithwaite and Dolberg puts the latter through on goal but his touch is heavy and the chance of goal of the tournament contender goes begging.
62 min: Finland still sit second but a Belgium goal would put Denmark into the box seat. You can follow that one here, by the way:
61 min: The goal brings ch-ch-ch changes. Poulsen goes off to be replaced by Dolberg. Jens Stryger Larsen comes on for Wass. Aleksandr Sobolev replaces Miranchuk for Russia, and Rifat Zhemaletdinov is on for Ozdoev.
GOAL! Russia 0-2 Denmark (Poulsen 59)
What on earth? Safonov throws the ball out to the left. Kuzyaev looks upfield but can’t see any options, so goes back to his keeper … but he hasn’t seen Poulsen! The pass is a bad one as well, so the Danish striker has the simplest task of slotting the ball into the empty net. A huge moment.
Updated
57 min: Delaney pulls down Zobnin in midfield and picks up a booking.
56 min: Poulsen sees his shot blocked on the edge of the box but you get the sense that Denmark’s trio of attackers are happier now Russia are being forced out of their deep block.
55 min: Parken unites in song, and the effect sounds like something you might hear in a church or temple rather than a football stadium. It’s a fantastic, almost spiritual, cacophony (perhaps helped by the fact that I don’t know what any of it means …)
@John_Ashdown We are red, We are white, We stand together, side by side (The song you mentioned in your livefeed) #DENRUS
— Mikkel Andreas Beck (@mikkelabeck) June 21, 2021
Updated
54 min: Chance? Hojbjerg lofts a lovely pass into the box and Wass looks to be in a fine position to volley at goal but instead looks to square for a teammate and the attack peters out.
53 min: Diveev slides in to deny the charging Poulsen.
51 min: Pass, pass, pass from Denmark. Passpasspasspasspas … hoick from Schmeichel.
50 min: Both are fine to continue.
48 min: Russia have started on the front foot, without creating a great deal. There’s another break in play as Kudryashov clashes heads with Hojbjer and requires treatment.
47 min: He’s soon up though and looks to be fine to continue.
46 min: Maehle has stayed down after tripping Mario Fernandes and looks in a bit of pain.
Peep! Off we go again.
The players are back out. Here comes part two.
As it stands, by the way, Finland are qualifying for the last 16 and a date with Wales in Amsterdam.
Peep! PEEEP! Half-time, and Denmark, after a frustrating spell, will be happy enough with that.
20 - At 20 years and 353 days, Mikkel Damsgaard has become Denmark's youngest ever goalscorer at a major international tournament (World Cup and EURO). Cracker. #RUSDEN
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 21, 2021
45 min: Just the one minute added.
43 min: Russia had twice been close to picking up bookings for time-wasting before that goal – always what might be termed A Bad Look in a first half. They’ll have to pick up the energy levels now.
41 min: “What’s the Danish for ‘scenes’’? wonders Niall Mullen. We almost had more, with Vestergaard nodding just wide from a corner.
40min: That goal produced Proper Noise.
GOAL! Russia 0-1 Denmark (Damsgaard 38)
Denmark lead! And it’s a superb strike. The ball is zipped into him on the edge of the box, he takes a touch to come inside from the left and sends a beautiful dipping effort into the top corner with his right peg. Cracking goal.
Updated
37 min: Damsgaard’s delightfully curving cross for a moment seems to be heading right into Poulsen’s path but Kudryashov is there to head away.
36 min: Maehle gets down the left as Denmark finally mount an attack worth the name. His cross is headed away by a Russian defender, though.
34 min: Golovin smites a shot well over the bar from the edge of the box.
32 min: Denmark seem to be lacking a focal point up front, with Poulsen, Braithwaite and Damsgaard not really offering much thus far. I think we might see Andreas Cornelius or Jonas Wind pretty early in the second half.
29 min: Hojbjerg is inches away from a proper screamer. His effort from 25-odd yards zips just wide of the post, with Saforov at full stretch. That’s as close as Denmark have come so far.
28 min: Further howls as Kudryashov thunders into Wass with the Denmark wing-back rising high for a header. He’s deservedly booked.
27 min: The Parken crowd howls its disproval as Russia take their time at a free-kick.
25 min: Poulsen fouls Ozdoev down by the corner flag. It’s been a good 10 minutes since Denmark created anything resembling an attack.
24 min: Damsgaard wins a free-kick in midfield as Danish frustration builds.
22 min: … which comes to nothing as Kjaer is fouled by Dzhikiya with the ball still en route.
21 min: Another Russia break and it’s suddenly four on three. Zobnin’s pass is toed away by Christensen for a corner …
19 min: Dzyuba wangs an effort wide from Miranchuk’s cross but this has been Russia’s best spell of the game so far.
16 min: The first save of the game, and surprisingly it’s Schmeichel who has made it. Golovin ghosts through midfield with barely a challenge registering and suddenly he is bearing down on goal. He checks past one last defender, though, narrowing his angle and Schmeichel is able to save pretty comfortably with his feet. That was a very decent chance.
Updated
14 min: Thunk! Kuzyaev hammers into Poulsen to win the ball. Thunk! Poulsen forcefully takes it back! THUNK! Dzyuba does likewise and concedes a free-kick.
12 min: Damsgaard and Maehle threaten down the left, but Mario Fernandes does very well to keep his head and prevent a cross coming in. As the ball is cleared, Dzyuba wins a free-kick to relieve the pressure a little.
11 min: Wass goes long in search of the surging Delaney, who can’t quite bring the ball under his spell. One-way traffic at the moment, though.
9 min: Braithwaite gets down the right and fizzes in a cross, which is headed behind for a corner … but as it floats towards Christensen at the back post, the referee blows for a free-kick after Diveev tumbles to the turf.
Updated
8 min: Out of possession Russia are falling in to something approaching a 5-1-4-0, with even Dzyuba dropping deep.
7 min: Safonov has to charge out of his goal to awkwardly knee a long ball out for a throw in.
5 min: Maehle floats a cross into the Russia box from wide on the left but a Russian head rises to meet it. Denmark beginning to get a grip on the game now.
3 min: A stop in play as Dzyuba – something of a unit, it’s fair to say – clatters into Kjaer. The Denmark captain is soon back up though.
2 min: A scrappy opening couple of exchanges with each team seemingly keen to hand possession to the other.
Peep! Off we go then. For the anthems, Denmark were in red training tops, Russia in white. For the game itself Denmark are in white, Russia in red.
Both anthems are belted out with considerable gusto by the teams and we’re good to go.
Click-clack, click-clack … out come the teams. Parken is a picture.
“Schmeichel playing striker in Denmark’s 3-4-4?” asks Paul Pooley. “Or are they gonna play with 12? It happens. I’m a long-suffering, er, long-serving referee and that is why we count players on the pitch before we start or restart a game.” As a ton of you have pointed out, in the teams I had Denmark playing in a revolutionary 3-4-4 formation. Just to clarify, umm, they’re not.
With all the potential for mathematical fun this evening, I wandered back through the last few tournaments to see if we’d ever got to the coin-toss stage. Generally it doesn’t happen, though there was this in 2004, coincidentally enough involving Denmark …
The teams
Russia (3-4-3): Safonov; Diveev, Dzhikiya, Kudryashov; Mario Fernandes, Ozdoez, Zobnin, Kuzyaev; Miranchuk, Dzyuba, Golovin.
Denmark (3-4-4): Schmeichel; Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard; Wass, Hojbjerg, Delaney, Maehle; Braithwaite, Poulsen, Damsgaard.
So Denmark are unchanged from the side against Belgium. For Russia Fyodor Kudryashov replaces Dmitri Barinov.
Of course, thoughts in Denmark have understandably not really been on goal difference equations and head-to-head complications.
If you missed it on Sunday, the Observer had this wonderful piece from Danish journalist Tom Carstensen on the heroes of Copenhagen, how Eriksen’s life was saved and what it meant for the nation.
We are so proud of the players and staff and how they have conducted themselves. The team can still progress but no one really cares about that. We are thinking about what is important: Christian Eriksen is alive.
Preamble
Hello all. So to Copenhagen, where both sides can still reach the knockout stages. Let’s have a look at The Permutations.
Russia win! They go through. Denmark are out. Easy that one.
A draw! Russia go through in second spot as long as Finland don’t spring a surprise and beat Belgium. Denmark are out. So far, so straightforward
Denmark win! Now it gets interesting. Finland would be through in second spot with a draw (or top if they beat Belgium) while the more likely defeat would leave three teams on three points. In that scenario a 1-0 win for Denmark would put the head-to-head table all square on goal difference and goals scored, so the goal difference against Belgium would come back into play – bad news for Russia, but obviously dependent on the Finland-Belgium scoreline. A two-goal win (or more) for Denmark would put them through, while a 2-1 win would also be enough, as would a 3-2 and so on, because that would elevate both these sides above the Finns on goals scored in their head-to-head triumvirate, and then their results against Belgium would come back into play to separate Denmark and Russia.
Clear? Good. There’s also the possibility of three teams finishing on six points – if Russia and Finland both win – which would most likely see Russia qualify as one of the best third placed teams, unless Finland absolutely batter Belgium which would mean … ah, let’s just see what happens.
Kick off 8pm BST.
