Denmark defeated Slovenia 2-1 at home on Friday. Druidni contributed a key goal in the second half, helping Denmark qualify for the 2024 European Cup and secure top spot in Group H.
Denmark has 22 points from 9 games, three points ahead of Slovenia. Even with an 18-point win over Kazakhstan in Monday’s final game, Denmark will not be able to get past Slovenia as they are at a disadvantage on their head-to-head record.
During the game, the Danish team was in control of the situation and almost took the lead in the 12th minute. Jonas Wind’s header hit the target, but Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak made several thrilling saves to resolve the crisis. Before that, full-back Joakim Maehle had a shot canceled out for offside. Until the 26th minute, he received a pass from Victor Kristiansen and successfully scored with a ghostly half-volley, breaking the deadlock for the Danish team.
This brought a new twist to the visiting team and soon they were catching up. After half an hour, right-back Erik Janža brilliantly curled a free kick from the edge of the penalty area, successfully beating goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel over the wall.
Denmark striker Youssef Poulsen missed several good chances, but that paved the way for Delaney to become a hero after his World Cup ended prematurely with a knee injury last year. When the Slovenians struggled to cope with the Denmark’s height and strength from a set-piece, Vestergaard deftly headed the ball to Delaney on the edge of the six-yard box and fired the ball into the back of the net to the delight of the Copenhagen fans. .
Last year, the Danish team was eliminated in the group stage. They wore red T-shirts with the words “See you in Germany at Euro 2024” and sprayed large bottles of beer to celebrate.
“It’s fantastic, we’ve been dreaming of this since qualifying started and I think we played a very good match,” said a delighted Meleching. “It’s a redemption,” added midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. “Now we are going to the European Championships in the summer and we have the opportunity to create something very special there.”
Also in Group H, Northern Ireland are a struggling team in Group H and were given no respite in freezing Helsinki. In the qualifying round, they lost to Finland 4-0 and suffered their seventh defeat.
Despite Michael O’Neal’s ongoing injury issues, the team got off to a good start. But late in the first half, the team began to crumble due to Joel Bohjanpalo’s penalty kick. In the second half, goals from Daniel Harkans, Timu Pukki and Robin Lord added to the team’s pain.
Federico Chiesa scored twice in the first half and the Italian team defeated North Macedonia 5-2, successfully avenging its opponent and sending a strong signal to opponents with certain strength. The North Macedonian team had previously eliminated the Italian team, causing them to miss the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Now, in order to secure a spot at next year’s European Championship in Germany, Italy needs to draw with Ukraine in a crucial match on Monday.
North Macedonia were eliminated early in the game and the Azzurri quickly took control of the game. Matteo Darmian, a former Manchester United defender currently playing for Inter Milan, received a corner kick in the 17th minute and scored with a header. It was his first international goal in more than eight years.
Chiesa’s goal was disallowed for offside early on, but he managed a long shot and successfully scored his first goal. In stoppage time, he scored his second goal with a curling shot at the Stadio Olimpico.
North Macedonia scored a goal early in the second half with a header from substitute Yanni Atanasov. His shot was saved by Italian defender Francesco Acerbi, but he found the back of the net again. It was a fiery finish for coach Luciano Spalletti’s side.
However, Giacomo Raspadori struck back for Italy in the 81st minute and Stephan El Shaarawy scored again in stoppage time. The ball restored their three-goal lead.
Currently, Italy and Ukraine have the same number of points, both at 13 points, but after Italy’s victory over Ukraine on September 1, they took the advantage. They will play in Bayer Leverkusen on Monday for second place in the group. The England team defeated Malta 2-0 and ranked first in the group.
In the Group E match, Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek broke Polish player Jakub Piotrowski’s first-half scoring record, eventually drawing 1-1 with his opponent. The Czech Republic and Moldova still have a chance to advance.
In the 38th minute of the game, Poland’s Piotrowski broke the deadlock and successfully scored his first goal in his second appearance on behalf of the national team with a close-range shot. After the break in the second half, the Czech team’s Soucek hit a low ball from long range and hit the post to equalize the score.
The Czech team ranks second with 12 points, 2 points behind leader Albania (in last Friday’s game, Albania drew 1-1 away from Moldova), and 1 point ahead of third-place Poland.
They will face Moldova on Monday, who are in fourth place with 10 points. To stay in contention for an eighth consecutive European Cup final, they need at least a draw in this competition. Poland have played their last qualifying match in a bid to reach a fifth European Cup final, but they still have a chance to control their own destiny in the play-offs.
