Wales were beaten by Denmark in Nations League A4 after Danny Ward’s late error handed Rasmus Højlund the chance to score the decisive penalty. Only days earlier, Craig Bellamy had suggested Wales had blown the group wide open with a hand grenade; this time, Ward was the one who detonated it. The game turned after 73 minutes when the goalkeeper brought down Gustav Isaksen in the box.
Until that moment Ward had kept Wales in the contest. His best save was a superb right-hand stop to deny Isaksen a headed opener, pushing the ball onto his right post. But after keeping Denmark at bay, he gave away a clumsy penalty, miscontrolling a pass from Ben Cabango before colliding with Isaksen. Bellamy covered his face as the video assistant referee, Ivan Bebek, reviewed the incident. The referee confirmed the decision and Højlund scored a flawless penalty, waiting for Ward to dive left before slotting into the opposite corner. Wales’ hopes of a first clean sheet since beating Liechtenstein last November also disappeared.
Wales had been trying to follow up Thursday’s victory over Norway, which was arguably Bellamy’s finest moment in the job, though Norway played almost all of the second half with 10 men. Bellamy stressed the importance of building on that performance as a minimum against a Denmark side that had comprehensively outplayed Wales in Copenhagen the previous week. Despite an awkward 7.45pm kick-off on a Sunday night, the Barry Horns brass band helped create a fine atmosphere, and even without a full house the pre-match anthem was stirring.
Bellamy said it was impossible to name the same XI because of the toll of four matches across 11 days, but in the end Daniel James was the only player to make way, with Brennan Johnson coming in on the wing. Ben Davies started a fourth successive game in this window, alongside Neco Williams and Ethan Ampadu. Davies’ only Tottenham minutes had come against a Charlton Athletic B team in the Carabao Cup, while Ampadu’s Leeds side were due to visit Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off when the Premier League resumes. Ward continued in goal.
Ward had little to do in the first half, with Højlund’s weak sixth-minute shot on the spin Denmark’s only shot on target in the opening period. Early in the second half, Ward was alert to prevent the Napoli striker from sweeping in Andreas Skov Olsen’s cross with his left leg. On the eve of the match, Bellamy had praised Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, now of Marseille, as a ‘coach on the pitch’, but the former Spurs midfielder was forced off after just two touches, a pass and a failed cross, after seemingly pulling a hamstring. Denmark looked the more dangerous side in a low-key game, with Isaksen dropping a header wide and Højlund miskicking another decent chance after Mohamed Daramy beat Davies and Cabango on the flank.
Ward’s first save of the half, to deny Højlund, was smart, but his second was phenomenal. Joakim Mæhle raced down the left and, before reaching the byline, flung in a feathery hanging cross. Isaksen, of Lazio, read the trajectory and adjusted his body position to target the bottom right-hand corner. The header looked perfect, but Ward got a brilliant right hand to the ball and pushed it onto his post. At that point, Ward was unquestionably Wales’ hero.
Wales showed glimpses of quality but failed to test Mads Hermansen, a former Leicester clubmate of Ward. Thomas was again a threat on the left, intermittently destroying Denmark right-back Rasmus Kristensen, and Liam Cullen, now of Leicester after ending his near two-decade stint at Swansea, was industrious as a playmaker. Then, out of nothing, came Ward’s error. Cabango shifted the ball across to his goalkeeper from right to left, and Ward, looking to move it on again, shovelled a miscued pass straight to Isaksen. A panicked Ward tried to make amends, but his desperation got the better of him and he clattered into Isaksen, giving Højlund the chance to beat him from 12 yards. Højlund waited for Ward to dive to his left and slotted the ball into the opposite corner.