Denmark’s Miracle: Winning EURO 1992 Without Qualifying

Can you believe a team winning a tournament they didn’t even qualify for? That’s exactly what happened during the 1992 EURO Tournament. Denmark, initially not qualified for the competition, found themselves unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight. Less than two weeks before the tournament began, Denmark was granted entry after Yugoslavia was banned by UEFA due to the war in their country. Seizing this unexpected opportunity, Denmark went on to create one of the most remarkable stories in football history. The Danish team, initially on vacation and unprepared, quickly regrouped and embarked on an extraordinary journey. This article dives into the full story behind Denmark’s miraculous win.

How Did Denmark Enter the EURO 1992?

The 1992 European Championship, also called Euro 92, was a special tournament with only 8 teams. Most of the teams had to go through a tough qualifying process to make it to the finals in Sweden. One of the qualifying groups had Denmark and the country of Yugoslavia together. Yugoslavia had a really strong team with excellent players like Darko Pan?ev and Dejan Savi?evi?. They ended up finishing first in the group, just ahead of Denmark. 

However, a terrible situation unfolded that changed everything. In 1991, the Yugoslav Wars broke out as the country started breaking apart into smaller nations. Because of this war and violence, FIFA and UEFA decided to ban the Yugoslavia national team from playing in any major tournaments. This meant the team that had qualified first in their group could no longer go to Euro 92. With Yugoslavia banned, Denmark was given the spot at the finals instead, even though they had finished second in the group behind Yugoslavia during qualifying.

It was a strange and unexpected way for Denmark to make the Euro 92 tournament. They didn’t actually qualify directly themselves. But because of the Yugoslavia Wars and that nation’s suspension from international football, Denmark got to take their place. So while they hadn’t won their qualifying group, the Denmark team still got to compete at Euro 92 in Sweden. It was a lucky break for the Danes amid the very unlucky circumstances surrounding the breakup of Yugoslavia at the time. Denmark made the most of their opportunity too, going on to surprise everyone by winning the whole tournament!

Denmark’s 1992 EURO Cup Campaign

After entering the EURO Cup 1992 at the last minute, the Denmark team knew that they had a real opportunity to do something big and hence picked up a solid team for the tournament. One of their biggest stars was the goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel from Manchester United. After his great performances at Euro 92, he became known as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. 

However, Denmark was missing their top player Michael Laudrup, who had quit the national team a couple of years earlier due to issues with the manager. But his brother Brian Laudrup and John Jensen were still on the squad as skilled offensive players. A few other key members were Flemming Povlsen and Lars Elstrup, who had played many games for Denmark already. But it was the striker Henrik Larsen who became the tournament’s top scorer, netting 3 goals to share the Golden Boot award.

Group Stage of the Tournament

Denmark was not expected to do well at Euro 1992 after just making it to the tournament. Their start was quite poor – first a 0-0 draw against England, then a loss to the host team Sweden. After two matches, Denmark sat at the bottom of their group with almost no chance to advance. However, in their final group game, the Danish players pulled off a huge surprise. They defeated the strong French team 2-1 in an upset victory. 

This remarkable win, combined with Sweden beating England, meant Denmark incredibly finished second in the group on tiebreakers. No one could have predicted this turnaround for the Danish underdogs. They had looked dead and buried after the first two matches. But that 2-1 victory over France completely changed their tournament. From last place to the knockout rounds, Denmark pulled off an amazing escape act.

Semi-Finals of the Tournament

After doing wonders in the group stage of the tournament, Denmark was scheduled to play Netherlands at the Ullevi, Gothenburg on 22nd June 1992 to decide which team qualifies for the Finals of the tournament. The Netherlands were the defending champions and it was always going to be hard to beat them. On the matchday, the underdogs got off to a dream start when Henrik Larsen headed in a goal just 5 minutes into the game off a nice cross from Brian Laudrup. 

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However, a rare mistake by the great goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel allowed Dennis Bergkamp to equalize for the Dutch. The score was 1-1 after 23 minutes. But Denmark re-took the lead before halftime when Larsen scored his second goal around the 30th minute. The Netherlands equalized again late through Frank Rijkaard, making it 2-2 after 90 minutes. So the semi-final match went to a penalty shootout. 

In the shootout drama, Schmeichel came up huge, saving one penalty from Marco van Basten. Meanwhile, all of Denmark’s players scored their spot-kicks perfectly. This gave the Danes an amazing 5-4 shootout win over the favoured Dutch side. Against all odds, the Danish underdogs had beaten the Netherlands to shockingly advance to the Euro 1992 final in their first-ever major tournament appearance.

Finals of the Tournament

In the Finals of the 1992 EURO Tournament, Denmark was up against the German team to decide who was the ultimate champion of Europe. Once again, the Danish underdogs were given no chance against such a talented opponent. But they didn’t let that bother them one bit. Denmark stunned Germany by taking an early 1-0 lead when John Jensen scored in just the 18th minute. Their star goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel then made an amazing save to deny Germany’s top striker Jurgen Klinsmann from equalizing in the second half.  

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The Danes’ dream run looked complete when Kim Vilfort scored in the 78th minute to make it 2-0. The Germans had no response against the determined Danish defenders. Against all odds and expectations, Denmark had achieved the impossible. The team that barely qualified triumphed as European champions with their 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.

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