WE’RE STILL DYNAMITE
In each of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tales, the main character must overcome obstacles to succeed. In The Little Mermaid, it’s an unloving prince; in The Emperor’s New Clothes, getting over the embarrassing prospect of losing face.
For the Danish national team, however, there was no such story during Euro 2020 – only a brutal reality which at one stage seemed like too much to bear. Christian Eriksen’s gut-wrenching collapse in their Group B opener left millions praying for his health, and a crushed team on its knees.
What came next was incredible. Denmark, their minds elsewhere, lost that fateful first game against Finland but won in the best way imaginable when Eriksen was pictured alive and well. That could have been a happy ending in itself, yet a string of gutsy displays propelled Kasper Hjulmand’s charges to the last four at Wembley. A superb World Cup qualifying campaign followed, with only Germany booking a ticket to Qatar quicker.
In 2021, Denmark haven’t just transformed themselves into a dominating side chasing dreams and triumphs, they’ve got an entire country supporting them like never before. This is no fairy tale written from Andersen’s homeland – it’s better than that.
Instead, Denmark’s inspiring story is a very real one
