SYDNEY (AP) — Going into this year’s Women’s World Cup, the entire Denmark national team had played in a World Cup for a combined zero minutes. After not qualifying for the tournament the past 16 years, the Danes are back.
The Red and White got off to a nice start in Group D, with a 1-0 victory over China. Now the team is feeling more calm and confident ahead of its match Friday against European champion England at Sydney Football Stadium.
“We know what to expect now,” Denmark captain Pernille Harder said. “We definitely settled our nerves a bit.”
That win was thanks to one of the players with little international experience at all, striker Amalie Vangsgaard. In just her 10th international appearance, she scored her first international goal with a header in the 89th minute off a corner kick.
“I couldn’t be happier for her, for the team, that she decides to score the first goal in exactly this game, against China,” Denmark coach Lars Søndergaard said. “It means a lot for her, it means a lot for the team.”
Several of Denmark’s players do have significant international experience, with 10 players with over 30 caps. Sixteen of the players at the Women’s World Cup were on the roster for the 2022 Euros, where Denmark went 1-2.
For a nation that hasn’t played on this stage since 2007 and has never won more than one match at the tournament, Friday’s match against England could make a statement for Denmark.
“It’s a fantastic occasion for us,” Søndergaard said. “We know it’s going to be difficult. We are the underdogs but still looking forward to it, and we hope that we can surprise.”
Denmark would all but qualify for the Round of 16 with a win. The Danes haven’t advanced out of the group stage since the 1995 Women’s World Cup. Haiti would have to beat China and then beat Denmark in the last group game to qualify ahead of the Danes.
As with other teams, Denmark did its best to prepare for the Women’s World Cup and what Søndergaard said is a faster and more physical women’s game than ever.
Coming into the tournament, the Red and White held friendlies against some of the top teams in the world. Facing off against Sweden, Japan and Spain, ranked Nos. 3, 11 and 6, respectively. Denmark beat Sweden and Japan 1-0. Spain won 2-0.
“It is important to play against better teams to get better, to develop your play, to develop the tempo in the games – both defensively and offensively,” Søndergaard said.
Denmark might have qualified for the 2019 Women’s World Cup if it wasn’t for a pay dispute with the Danish Football Federation, DBU.
In a moment of defiance, as part of a year-long dispute, the team forfeited a Women’s World Cup-qualifying match against Sweden. At the time, the teams were tied atop their group.
Denmark finished second in the group behind Sweden and was forced to play in the European qualifying playoffs. The Danes lost 4-1 to the Netherlands on aggregate over two legs. The Dutch also beat Denmark in the 2017 Euros final.
Seven of Denmark’s players play in England, and Harder just moved from Chelsea last year, so there will be plenty of knowledge and familiarity on the field when these teams play for top spot in Group D.
“England is such a great team,” Harder said, “but we will do everything we can to make it difficult for England as well.”
___
Clay Witt is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
___
AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
