Wales’ difficult start to their UEFA Nations League campaign continued in Copenhagen as Denmark secured a deserved 2-0 victory at Parken, leaving Craig Bellamy’s side without a point or a goal from their opening two matches in League A Group 4.
An unfortunate own goal from captain Ben Davies eight minutes after half-time finally broke Welsh resistance before Gustav Isaksen doubled Denmark’s advantage in the 66th minute, capping an influential individual display in which he had already seen a superb first-half effort disallowed.
For Wales, there were moments when they threatened to turn a difficult evening in their favour, particularly towards the end of the opening half, but Denmark carried the greater attacking threat over the 90 minutes and created enough opportunities to have won by a wider margin.
The defeat followed Wales’ narrow 1-0 loss away to Portugal three days earlier and leaves Bellamy’s team facing an increasingly important pair of home fixtures, beginning with Norway in Cardiff on Thursday before Denmark make the return journey to Wales.
Bellamy had indicated that changes would be necessary following the physical demands of the Portugal fixture and made six alterations to his starting side.
One of the most notable was Charlie Savage, who was handed his first competitive start for the senior national team after being called into the squad following withdrawals. Ethan Ampadu partnered Savage in midfield, while Brennan Johnson operated centrally behind an attacking combination which included Daniel James, Sorba Thomas and Kieffer Moore.
Connor Roberts and Chris Mepham also came into the defensive unit alongside Davies and Neco Williams, with Danny Ward retaining his place in goal.
Denmark coach Brian Riemer opted for considerably greater continuity following his team’s 3-2 defeat against Norway, making only one change to his starting XI.
The home side immediately appeared determined to produce a response.
With Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Morten Hjulmand providing the platform in midfield and Mikkel Damsgaard finding pockets of space further forward, Denmark were able to move possession quickly and stretch Wales across the pitch.
Isaksen was particularly dangerous.
The Lazio winger repeatedly found room and offered Denmark an outlet on the right, while Patrick Dorgu provided another attacking threat from the opposite side.
An early warning arrived when a pass from Joachim Andersen opened Wales up and allowed Isaksen an opportunity to shoot, although his attempt went wide. He was involved again when a delivery towards Dorgu presented the Manchester United player with a headed opportunity that he was unable to direct on target.
Wales were spending lengthy periods without the ball and found it difficult to establish sustained possession. Denmark’s pressure meant that Moore was often isolated, while James and Thomas had to start attacks from deep positions rather than receiving possession close to the Danish penalty area.
The hosts appeared to have made their dominance count after 24 minutes.
A rapid Danish counter-attack cut through Wales and Rasmus Højlund delivered for Isaksen, whose left-footed volley provided an emphatic finish.
Parken erupted, but Wales were given a reprieve.
A VAR review established that Højlund had been offside earlier in the move and the goal was disallowed.
It was a significant escape for the visitors, but Denmark almost responded immediately.
Damsgaard, increasingly influential as the first half progressed, struck the post as the pressure continued and at that stage Wales were having to work extremely hard simply to keep the score level.
There was another setback, this time for Denmark, on the half-hour mark when Dorgu was forced off through injury. Mohamed Daramy replaced him and would go on to have a major influence on the game.
Perhaps encouraged by surviving Denmark’s strongest period without conceding, Wales gradually began to offer more of an attacking threat.
Thomas provided one of their best moments of the first half after Andersen surrendered possession. The winger took advantage and drove an effort narrowly past Filip Jørgensen’s far post from around 20 yards.
It was an important moment because it demonstrated that Denmark could be vulnerable when Wales were able to move the ball forward quickly.
Johnson subsequently sent a free-kick wide before playing an important role in Wales’ best opportunity of the half.
Combining with Thomas, Johnson reached the byline and pulled the ball back into the penalty area towards Roberts. The defender managed to make contact under pressure, forcing Jørgensen into an important save from close range.
Considering Denmark’s territorial superiority for much of the opening 45 minutes, Wales reaching half-time at 0-0 represented an opportunity.
They had survived the disallowed Isaksen goal, Damsgaard striking the woodwork and several promising Danish attacks. More importantly, their improvement towards the interval suggested there might be a route back into the contest if they could begin the second period with greater control.
There were briefly encouraging signs.
Williams tried his luck shortly after the restart and saw his deflected attempt dealt with by Jørgensen, but Denmark soon regained the initiative.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 53rd minute and was particularly frustrating from a Welsh perspective because it came from a set-piece.
Damsgaard sent a dangerous free-kick into the penalty area towards Højlund. Davies attempted to deal with the delivery while under pressure from the Denmark striker, but the final touch came off the Wales captain and diverted the ball beyond Ward.
Højlund initially celebrated as though he had scored, but the goal was eventually recorded as a Davies own goal.
It was cruel on the defender, but there was little argument that Denmark’s overall performance had merited the lead.
Wales were suddenly facing a different challenge. Having spent much of the evening attempting to contain their opponents, they now needed to push further forward in search of an equaliser, inevitably creating additional space for a Danish team that had already demonstrated its ability to attack quickly.
Denmark should have doubled the advantage soon afterwards.
Daramy found himself with an excellent opportunity at the back post but failed to convert from close range, giving Wales another chance to remain in the contest.
That reprieve did not last long.
Another Damsgaard set-piece caused problems in the 66th minute. Wales failed to clear the danger effectively, Moore was required to intervene close to his own goal and the loose ball eventually reached Isaksen.
His effort took a deflection on its way towards goal, beating Ward and going in off the underside of the crossbar.
After having an excellent strike ruled out during the first half, Isaksen finally had the goal his performance deserved.
At 2-0, Denmark were in control.
The statistics reflected the difference between the sides. The hosts finished with around 62 per cent possession and registered 20 attempts compared with Wales’ 10. Denmark also accumulated 46 touches inside the Welsh penalty area, while Bellamy’s side managed only 13 at the opposite end.
Those numbers illustrated the amount of defending Wales were required to do and the difficulty they experienced in turning possession into sustained attacking pressure.
Ward was called upon again to deny Daramy as Denmark searched for a third, while Wales continued trying to find a way back into the contest.
Roberts forced another save from Jørgensen and Williams remained willing to push forward whenever possible.
There was briefly hope of a late Welsh goal when Williams headed into the net, only for the effort to be disallowed because of a push by Ampadu during the build-up.
Denmark also had a late effort ruled out, with Højlund denied by an offside decision, while Oliver Provstgaard headed another opportunity wide.
By the final whistle, however, there could be few complaints about the destination of the three points.
For Bellamy, the result presented another important learning experience for a side attempting to establish itself against the strongest level of European international opposition.
The Wales manager admitted afterwards that Denmark had deserved the victory and highlighted several areas in which his team had struggled.
Bellamy felt his players had been unable to secure enough possession from physical contests and second balls and had not protected the ball well enough when opportunities arose to relieve pressure.
That inability to retain possession repeatedly resulted in Wales having to retreat and defend again rather than establish periods of control higher up the pitch.
He was also frustrated by the nature of the two goals.
Wales traditionally place significant emphasis on defending set-pieces, but both decisive moments originated from Damsgaard deliveries. The first ended with Davies inadvertently putting through his own net and the second was not properly cleared before Isaksen converted.
Bellamy described the match as a difficult experience and acknowledged there remained a considerable amount for his team to improve.
There was nevertheless praise for the commitment shown by his players. He admired their willingness to put their bodies on the line and continue competing during long periods of Danish pressure, but his overriding message was that Wales must demand more from themselves.
The manager also admitted the result hurt.
Bellamy had warned his players before kick-off that he expected the Denmark fixture to present an even tougher challenge than the previous game in Portugal. Afterwards, he pointed towards Denmark’s athletic qualities and acknowledged that the hosts had, at times, overwhelmed his side physically.
His focus, though, remains on development rather than abandoning the principles he has attempted to introduce.
Bellamy believes exposure to this calibre of opposition is necessary if Wales are going to improve and insisted the players, particularly the younger members of the squad, will benefit from these demanding experiences.
Captain Davies offered a similarly measured assessment.
He accepted that Denmark had made the evening extremely difficult and expressed particular disappointment that both goals had developed from set-piece situations.
At League A level, Davies argued, small lapses are punished. Wales are facing some of Europe’s strongest international sides and cannot afford significant drops in performance or concentration.
Ampadu also admitted Wales had fallen short of their own standards.
The midfielder felt the visitors could have been much tidier in possession and conceded that they had not created enough to seriously threaten Denmark over the course of the match. Like Davies, he highlighted the set-piece defending as an area requiring immediate attention.
Thomas was left reflecting on what might have happened had his first-half effort found the corner.
His shot narrowly missed when the game remained goalless and Wales were enjoying their best spell. A goal at that stage could have dramatically changed the pattern of the contest.
His wider message was that Wales need to become more clinical when opportunities arrive. Against opponents of Denmark’s quality, chances can be limited, and failing to capitalise on them increases the likelihood that the opposition will eventually punish mistakes at the other end.
Riemer, meanwhile, was understandably pleased with Denmark’s response after the disappointment of losing 3-2 to Norway in their opening Nations League fixture.
The Denmark coach had placed faith in a largely unchanged starting side and was rewarded with a much more controlled performance.
One player he singled out afterwards was Daramy.
The winger had not played for Denmark for around two-and-a-half years after enduring a lengthy and difficult period with injuries, but Dorgu’s first-half problem gave him an unexpected opportunity.
Riemer praised Daramy’s contribution, particularly the pressure he was able to apply to Wales and the energy he brought after entering the game.
Although Daramy missed a clear opportunity to score, his movement repeatedly caused problems and his return represented another positive element of the evening for the hosts.
Isaksen also felt Denmark had demonstrated the type of football they wanted to play.
The winger pointed to the team’s attacking approach, increased pressing and ability to create chances, while stressing that the victory should be regarded as a starting point rather than an achievement in itself.
Denmark now turn their attention towards Portugal, while Wales face a demanding examination against Norway in Cardiff.
For Bellamy and his players, the immediate task is to ensure that two away defeats do not become a damaging run.
The circumstances should be kept in perspective. Wales have opened their League A campaign with consecutive away matches against Portugal and Denmark, two nations possessing considerable depth and experience at the highest level.
Yet the nature of the Copenhagen defeat also provided areas that will require improvement.
Wales need to retain possession more effectively when under pressure, compete more consistently for second balls and make greater use of the attacking moments they do create. Conceding twice from set-piece situations will also be particularly frustrating given the importance Bellamy places on organisation.
There were still positives to take from individual passages.
Thomas looked dangerous when Wales managed to release him. Johnson created arguably their best opportunity of the first half. Roberts twice forced Jørgensen into saves, while Savage gained valuable competitive international experience against high-level opposition.
But isolated moments were not enough.
Denmark were quicker to loose balls, more threatening in the final third and more capable of sustaining pressure. Damsgaard’s delivery was central to both goals, Isaksen provided a constant threat and the Højbjerg-Hjulmand midfield combination helped the hosts dictate long periods of the contest.
Wales left Copenhagen having competed, resisted and occasionally threatened, but ultimately without the control or cutting edge required to take anything from the evening.
Two Nations League matches have now produced two defeats and no Welsh goals.
There is little time to dwell on that record.
Norway arrive in Cardiff on Thursday and another demanding night awaits. Bellamy has repeatedly spoken about wanting his players to test themselves against Europe’s strongest teams and League A is providing exactly that examination.
The challenge now is to turn those lessons into points.
