Pre-Euro 2004, knowledge of the Greek national football team
was meagre. The customary high expectations of England were fuelled by the
arrival of an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney. Hosts Portugal and their half
superstar, half cry-baby Cristiano Ronaldo were tipped to shine and the usual
suspects of Germany, Spain, Italy and France could be seen regularly on betting
slips in bookies across the continent. It was Greece, however, playing in only their
third ever major tournament, which surpassed all expectations to lift the
trophy in a tournament that all football fans will remember well (not least for
the incompetent refereeing of one Urs Meier). If you come to be asked 20-odd
years down the line what the most fascinating ‘underdog’ story in football has
been of your lifetime, it is likely you’ll place the Greek triumph at the top
of your list (that is, of course, until Michael Johnson scores the winner in the 2016 final !). But what many don’t realise is that for those born by
this date in 1992, an even greater, more fascinating, more unexpected tale was
written – the Denmark story.
It’s 1992, and the European Championships are being prepared
to take place in Sweden. The hosts are expected to excel, led by the
highly-rated Parma forward Thomas Brolin. Germany played for the first time as
a unified nation, and defending European champions Holland were given elevated
expectations. Denmark, on the other hand, had failed to qualify. After losing
out in qualifying to group-winners Yugoslavia by one point, the Danish players
were free to jet off on their summer holidays and soak up the sun.
Two weeks prior to the tournament, however, Yugoslavia found
themselves banished from the finals. A state of civil war had led to sanctions
being placed by the UN Security Council, preventing them from appearing.
Denmark were subsequently thrown into the tournament, with two weeks to put a
squad together and prepare for a campaign they had already been eliminated
from.
Following a fall-out with manager Richard Møller Nielsen during the
qualifying campaign, brothers Micheal and Brian Laudrup – considered two of the
greatest ever Danish football players – had quit the national team. Whilst
Brian returned to the squad for the European Championships under that same
manager, Michael turned down the opportunity. Considering the exceedingly low
expectations of the Danish national side, he preferred instead to remain on his
holidays.
This
tournament was to become the last in which only 8 teams reached the finals.
There were only two groups, with the top two from each advancing straight to
the semi-finals. Denmark were handed the challenge of coming up against the
hosts, England and France – a group nobody expected them to stand a chance in –
including the players. One squad member acknowledged that the pressure was so
low, if they were to lose all three games 5-0, they would not be considered
failures, so minute were the expectations. They headed into the final game against
France on the back of a hard fought draw with England and a 1-0 loss to Sweden
courtesy of a Thomas Brolin strike. With a loss and a swift exit anticipated,
the Danish played with no fear. An early goal from the eventual tournament’s
joint top goal scorer Henrik Larsen, followed by the winner from Lars Elstrup,
secured an unlikely 2-1 victory. The French crashed out alongside a
(surprising) exit from the English, and Denmark sailed through to the semi-final
by one point. The Danish were to come up against the Dutch for a place in the
final, in what was to become one of the most fascinating games in the history
of the European Championships.
Defending
their European title with ‘The General’, Rinus Michels in charge once again,
Holland were hot favourites. Peter Schmeichel was to prove to be the hero,
keeping the mighty Dutch at bay with an outstanding display in the Danish net.
Larsen twice put the Danes in the lead, only for a late Frank Rijkaard strike
to even the scores out at 2-2. The phenomenal Schmeichel prevented a Holland
winner in extra time following a hoard of chances, meaning only penalties could
separate the two teams. Denmark converted all five of their penalties, whilst
Marco Van Basten, who had failed to score all tournament, saw his strike saved
by Schmeichel. Van Basten’s penalty eventually proved decisive as Denmark,
against all the odds, booked their place in the final.
Surely
then, when faced by the Germans in the final, Denmark’s luck would have run
out. Germany had knocked the hosts out 3-2 in their semi-final, and despite a
less-than impressive group stage where they were comfortably beaten by Holland;
yet again Denmark found themselves with the odds stacked against them. Danish
player Kim Vilfort later admitted Germany were the best team in the final, but
football is a funny game, and when John Jensen put Denmark one up, the
impossible was made possible. Denmark’s counter-attacking philosophy paid
dividends, and the Germans were made to rue missed chances as Vilford secured
the unlikeliest of successes, putting the game beyond reach with the second
goal little more than ten minutes from the end. The Danes had won the European
Championships they failed to qualify for – and somewhere in the world, their
star player Michael Laudrup was watching on with regret as his brother lifted
the trophy.
This
fairytale, however, ultimately failed to produce a happy ending. Vilford, who
had missed the France match to return home to care for his sick seven-year-old
daughter, had to later come to terms with the loss of his child in her battle
against Leukaemia. I used to agree with one Bill Shankly, that football isn’t a
matter of life or death, that it’s much more important than that. In reality,
Bill, I can assure you, it’s much less.
