Denmark's National Football Team Gains Confidence with Victories in Euro Warmup Matches
The victory and effort in Saturday's Euro warmup match against Norway gives the players on the Danish national football team a good feeling ahead of the tournament in Germany. Following the 3-1 victory over Norway at Brøndby Stadium, the players emphasize the importance of entering the Euro with successful experiences and confidence. Three days earlier, Denmark won 2-1 against Sweden.
"I think we are in a really good position before the Euro. It has been important for us to win and build confidence within the team. There have been periods in our two test matches where we have not reached our top level, but there have also been very good periods, and we continue to set high demands on ourselves," says midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
His colleague and goal scorer Yussuf Poulsen agrees. He points out that although Denmark controlled the game against Norway in the first half, the team also showed strength by being able to defend sensibly when the Norwegians took the initiative in the second half of Saturday's match.
"We head to the Euro with the feeling that we can win football matches, and we have shown that we are the best team in Scandinavia. There are many colleagues across the three national teams, so it is nice to have beaten both of them. We played a really good first half against Norway and scored two goals, but in the second half, we lost our grip. We were looking for solutions and defended a bit deeper than we actually wanted. But it will be important to do that at Euro, and for large parts of the time, we defended our area very well," says Yussuf Poulsen.
Forward Rasmus Højlund hopes that Denmark will play the Euro matches with the same offensive and lively expression as in the first half against the Norwegians.
"It is a good alternative to be able to sit back if things do not go as we would like. But I prefer that we play with the expression we had in the first half as it was a really good first half. The performance gives momentum and a good feeling in the squad. We are in a good position before the Euro," says the forward.
He has not scored in any of the two decisive warmup matches before the tournament, but the Manchester United striker is relaxed about it.
"It doesn't bother me that I haven't scored leading up to the Euro. I am still full of confidence and I am completely ready. It is at the Euro when it really matters," says Rasmus Højlund.
Denmark opens the Euro against Slovenia on Sunday, June 16.
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