Kasper Dolberg starred on his former stomping ground in Amsterdam as Denmark stormed to a 4-0 victory over Wales to progress to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
In for the injured Yussuf Poulsen, ex-Ajax striker Dolberg became the first Denmark player to score twice in a Euro knockout game since Henrik Larsen in 1992 with two clinical finishes.
With the backing of a partisan crowd at the stadium where the absent Christian Eriksen made his name, Denmark hit the front midway through the first half before Dolberg – on his first start of the tournament – doubled his tally shortly after the break.
Mathias Jensen, Martin Braithwaite and Joachim Andersen all hit the woodwork, though those near-misses mattered little when Joakim Maehle made sure of an emphatic Danish victory.
Wales’ misery was then compounded with Harry Wilson’s harsh sending off and Braithwaite’s strike in the fourth minute of added time.
Gareth Bale arrowed wide as Wales started brightly, but a tactical switch from Kasper Hjulmand smothered the winger, and in the 27th minute, it was Denmark who struck.
Mikkel Damsgaard injected pace into a patient team move which culminated in Dolberg exquisitely picking out the bottom-right corner from 20 yards out.
Dolberg almost followed up with a second within five minutes, but Danny Ward made an outstanding stop from the forward’s close-range flick.
Wales lost Connor Roberts to injury, and it was his replacement Neco Williams who was at fault for Denmark’s second three minutes after the break.
Williams’ dreadful clearance fell to Dolberg, who drilled into the bottom corner – the goal standing despite Wales’ appeals for a foul in the build up.
Braithwaite and then Andersen failed to finish into a gaping goal, but Maehle made no mistake when he lashed home for the second time in as many games after 88 minutes.
Maehle was involved again when he drew a foul from Wilson, who was harshly dismissed, but Braithwaite had the final say as his goal was given on a VAR check, and Denmark marched into a last-eight tie with the Czech Republic or the Netherlands in supreme form.
(Fotmob)
