Echoes of 1983: Denmark finally get another win at Wembley

A Christian Eriksen penalty was the difference on a night that had historical connotations on all sorts of levels

Denmark got their first win at Wembley Atadium in over 35 years and secured a spot in the top Nations League level last night thanks to a first-half Christian Eriksen spot-kick.

The Danes started brightly and were further boosted when defender Harry Maguire was sent off midway through the first half for his second booking of the night.

Shortly afterwards, Eriksen converted the only goal of the game through a penalty that most people would probably contend shouldn’t have been given.

The win put the Danes comfortably on seven points – on par with England and two adrift of Belgium.

And with just two game remaining, Iceland are now certain to finish last and be demoted from the Nations League group A.

READ ALSO: Eriksen and Kjær set to reach landmark against England

Shades of ’83
The last time Denmark won at Wembley was in 1983 when Allan Simonsen’s penalty was the difference in what was a sensational win at the time (see highlights below).

The match is of particular importance to Danish football history as it signalled to the world that the Danes had arrived on the football stage – and that its famous Danish Dynamite dynasty of the ’80s had begun in earnest.

A year later, they were a penalty shootout away from reaching the final of Euro 1984 and turned heads with their fabulous brand of football in Mexico during the 1986 World Cup.




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