Denmark sink Czech Republic to reach Euros semis

Denmark beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in a nervy European Championship quarter-final on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since they won the title in 1992.

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Denmark opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Thomas Delaney scored with a downward header from a corner kick and the Danes doubled the lead just before halftime when Kasper Dolberg fired home from an inch-perfect cross from Joakim Maehle.

Czech striker Patrik Schick struck four minutes after the restart, guiding a Vladimir Coufal cross into the bottom corner for his fifth goal of the tournament to go level with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the scoring charts.

The Czechs were in the ascendancy in the second half but Denmark held on for the win and a semi-final date at Wembley where Kasper Hjulmand's side will play either Ukraine or England -- who play later on Saturday in the last-quarter-final in Rome.

MATCH FACTS

Denmark will feature in the semi-final of a major competition (World Cup/EUROs) for a fourth time, with each occasion coming at the European Championships (also 1964, 1984, 1992). Indeed, their 29-year gap between European Championship semi-finals (1992 to 2021) is the longest ever by a single nation in the competition, surpassing England’s 28-year wait from 1968 to 1996.

Including games as Czechoslovakia, this was Czech Republic’s 15th defeat in a European Championship match (excl. penalty shootouts); only Denmark and Russia (including CIS and Soviet Union) have lost more in the competition’s history (both 16).

Denmark have won three consecutive games at the European Championships for the very first time, and only the second time at any major competition (World Cup/EUROs), having previously done so at the 1986 World Cup.

Denmark have scored 11 goals at EURO 2020, their highest return in a single edition of a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs), surpassing the 10 they netted at the 1986 World Cup.

Denmark’s opener (04:52) was their 40th European Championship goal, and second-earliest overall, after Yussuf Poulsen versus Belgium in this year’s group stage (01:39). Likewise, it was the second-fastest ever conceded in the tournament by Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia, after Wilfred Bouma’s strike against them for Netherlands in 2004 (03:05).

Denmark’s opener scored by Thomas Delaney was the 24th headed goal at EURO 2020, now the most such strikes in a single European Championship edition, overtaking the 23 notched in 2016.

Thomas Delaney was the seventh player to score for Denmark at EURO 2020; excluding own goals, only Germany in 2012 have ever had more different scorers at a single European Championship (8). Delaney’s goal was his first in 20 appearances for his national side.

Kasper Dolberg became the first player to score three or more goals for Denmark at a single major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) since Jon Dahl Tomasson also scored three times at EURO 2004. Dolberg has scored in back-to-back appearances for his national side for the first time, with this his 29th senior appearance for them.

Patrik Schick became the fourth player to score five goals in a single major competition (World Cup/EUROs) for Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia, after Milan Baros at EURO 2004, Tomas Skuhravy at the 1990 World Cup and Oldrich Nejedly at the 1934 World Cup.

Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard started this match on what is his 21st birthday; this was the 21st occasion of a player featuring in a men's European Championship game on his birthday, with Damsgaard the youngest to do so, surpassing Vasilis Torosidis, who played for Greece against Sweden on his 23rd birthday in 2008.