Cymru 0-1 Denmark

Denmark without influential Mikkel Damsgaard
Craig Bellamy made one change from Norway game
Cymru concede penalty that Rasmus Højlund scored the winner from

Striker Rasmus Højlund was the hero for Denmark in Cardiff as the Napoli striker scored what would prove to be the decisive goal for his side from the penalty spot on 75 minutes.

Cymru made just one change from the side that defeated Norway 2-1 in Cardiff on Thursday as Brennan Johnson replaced Dan James in the starting line-up. Meanwhile, Denmark made three changes from the side that lost 4-2 at home to Portugal, with the influential Mikkel Damsgaard ruled out through injury.

Gustav Isaksen impressed for Denmark in the 2-0 win over Cymru a week earlier, and the forward was restored to the starting line-up for this return match. However, it was his strike partner Højlund that asked the majority of questions of the Cymru defence in the early exchanges, and would later decide the match.

Denmark received a blow after just 10 minutes when captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was forced off through injury, but the visitors quickly regrouped with Højlund, Isaksen and Morten Hjulmand all having efforts on the Cymru goal. Mohamed Daramy was also proving to be a constant problem for Cymru on the left.

At the other end of the field, the pace of Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson caused problems for the Danes, but they did enough defensively to deny the home side from creating any clear chances on goal. Denmark finished the opening half the stronger of the two teams, with Oliver Provstgaard heading over from close range with their best opportunity.

The visitors continued to cause problems for Cymru straight from the kick-off, with only a last-ditch tackle from Ethan Ampadu denying Daramy a chance on goal. While minutes later, goalkeeper Danny Ward had to be at his absolute best to prevent Højlund from putting the Danes ahead from point-blank range.

Ward then pulled off another superb save when it seemed that Isaksen’s header was heading for the corner of the net, with Denmark looking increasingly dangerous. However, Cymru could have taken the lead on 63 minutes as Thomas found Johnson at the far post, but his effort narrowly cleared the crossbar.

The key moment of the match occurred on 75 minutes when Ward brought down Isaksen in the area and Højlund made no mistake from the resulting penalty. It would prove decisive and ultimately handed Denmark a deserved three points on a disappointing night for Cymru in the capital.

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Højlund penalty enough to defeat Cymru