What happened to the football "Andersen's Fairy Tale" staged by the Danish team at the 1992 European Cup?

In 1992, when I was a sophomore in high school, CCTV broadcast all the games live. Due to time constraints, I only watched two of them, one was the group match between the Netherlands and Germany, and the other was the Netherlands' semi-final loss to Denmark, but I can say that I still have fresh memories of this European Cup.

Denmark and Yugoslavia were in the same group in the qualifiers. The two teams had one win and one loss in the direct confrontation. Because of one more draw, they were one point behind Yugoslavia and ranked second.

Yugoslav President Milosevic’s genocide in the Balkans has made the domestic situation increasingly severe. FIFA and UEFA made the painful decision before the start of this European Cup to cancel Yugoslavia's qualification for the finals and replace it with Denmark. When the news came, the Danish Football Association was not prepared at all. Muller Nielsen, who was idle at home, took over as coach without any warning and temporarily raised a national team. Denmark's number one star Laudrup was not even selected because of Mao Dun. .

No other team takes the Danish national team seriously. In the first match of the group stage, Denmark and England drew a goalless draw. In the second game, they lost to the host Sweden 0:1, and Brolin scored the winning goal. In the last game, they were forced into a desperate situation. Facing France, which was the favorite to win this year and had won all eight qualifying games, they had to win to qualify. Under the adversity, Denmark burst out with amazing energy. The three armies fought hard and defeated their opponents 2:1 in the end. The second place team in the group reached the semi-finals with Sweden, while the two favorites France and England went home sadly.

The semi-finals are a more severe test, because the opponent is the defending champion, the Dutch national team led by the Three Musketeers in their heyday. The Dutch team won two and drew one in the group stage, especially Easily defeating World Cup champion Germany 3:1, showing a good competitive state, and is the number one favorite in this tournament. But as soon as they came up, Denmark took the lead. Henrik Larsen scored twice and took the lead twice. Although the Dutch team scored goals from Bergkamp and Frank Rijkaard to equalize the score, Vamba lost in the penalty shootout. Sten missed the penalty, but Denmark made every shot, and the score was fixed at 6:5.

Denmark, which unexpectedly reached the final, gained great confidence. Instead, they played the final with ease. Jensen and Wilfort each scored a goal. They defeated Germany cleanly 2:0 and won the championship. European Cup champion. It is worth mentioning that goalkeeper Schmeichel saved an inevitable Klinsmann shot during the game.

This is a real Danish fairy tale. The Danish team met three favorites in the finals and defeated their opponents without exception. Their success is also obvious to all. , that is extraordinary passion, super running ability and strong psychological quality, thus making up for the technical and tactical gap. Compared with later Greek mythology, I personally think it is better.

Finally, let’s talk about some of the contributors to Denmark’s championship: Laudrup Jr. proved throughout the competition that he is one of the best implementers of defensive counterattack tactics in the world. Effenberg even Said, "If he were a woman, I would marry him right away." Schmeichel, 28, was not yet famous at the time, but his performance in the final was invincible, withstanding the German team's stormy attack. . Henrik Jensen, like the Danish team, participated in the tournament as a substitute. After the main player was injured, he firmly seized the opportunity and scored three goals in a row against France and the Netherlands, while his position was only in midfield.

It was a complete accident that Denmark was able to participate in that European Cup. Due to differences with the then coach Nielsen, the Laudrup brothers refused to play for the national team. The Danish team also fell behind Yugoslavia by 1 point. Missed the 1992 European Cup. However, due to Yugoslavia being sanctioned by the United Nations at the time, the Danish team was temporarily substituted for Yugoslavia in the competition. UEFA made this decision only 10 days before the tournament. It can be said that the players of the Danish team were in a relaxed state at that time. It is said that the Danish coach Nielsen was renovating the kitchen at the time and immediately informed the players to participate after receiving the call. From this, we can also see how hasty the team's preparations were.

In addition, the return of one of the Laudrup brothers also gave the Danish team the possibility of creating a miracle. At that time, the elder Laudrup continued to refuse to play for the national team, while the younger Laudrup decided to participate.

The Danish team’s road to winning the European Cup was also bumpy. In the group stage, they did not win a single victory. First, Denmark 0-0 England, then Sweden 1-0 Denmark, and the last group game. France 0-0 Denmark, with three draws and two draws, the Danish team entered the knockout rounds. In the semi-finals, Denmark's opponent was the Netherlands. Due to their outstanding performance in the group stage, almost everyone believed that the Netherlands and Germany would meet in the final. However, the course of the game was unexpected. The Danish team took the lead first. Larsson received a pass from Laudrup and headed the goal to open the scoring. But Bergkamp equalized for the Netherlands. However, the Danish team took the lead again, Larsson scored twice for the Danes. The Dutch played very tenaciously, and Rijkaard saved the Dutch team 2 minutes before the end. However, in the final penalty shootout, Schmeichel led the Danish team into the final. In the final, with the heroic performance of goalkeeper Schmeichel and the outstanding performance of other players, the Danish team defeated the German team 2-0 and finally won the championship. Their road to the championship was also known as Denmark's "Andersen's Fairy Tale" ". (W)

Denmark’s mythical journey became apparent from the group stage: they drew with England 0-0, lost to Sweden 0-1, and defeated Sweden 2-1 in the final game of the group stage. The French team, which has stars such as Didier Deschamps, Cantona and Papin, finally advanced to the top two in the group with Sweden. The English and French teams, which had been optimistic earlier, both fell in the group stage.

In the semi-finals, Denmark faced the defending champion Netherlands. At that time, the Netherlands not only had the three Musketeers Gullit, Basten and Rijkaard, but also the so-called new Three Musketeers-Bergkamp, The overall strength of Roy and Witzger was even considered to be better than that of the 1990 world champion German team. However, such a Dutch team that aimed to defend the title lost to Denmark in a penalty shootout. Schmeichel He became famous after saving Basten's penalty kick in the duel. After eliminating the Netherlands, Denmark has become the biggest dark horse in this European Cup, so it is not surprising to defeat Germany 2-0 in the final.

The outside world generally believes that Denmark can create miracles. On the one hand, they have a strong overall strength, but are underestimated. On the other hand, the team has always maintained a stable mentality, coupled with good luck, finally finally Winning the championship, but winning this time can indeed be said to be a miracle, because at that time the strength of the Netherlands and Germany was the best in the world.

This is the European Cup for three people. Of course, it can also be said to be the European Cup for one person.

Three people, that is Danish coach Nielsen, forward Brian Laudrup, and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

If it is a person, it is undoubtedly Schmeichel.

The Danes, who had hurriedly assembled before the game, only had 8 days to train. The funniest thing is that because the mainstream European leagues ended early at that time, the German team was regarded as the favorite to win the championship. ——They are the new World Cup champions. By the opening day of the European Cup, they have been training for almost a month.

No team has such a long running-in period as them, especially after the Berlin Wall was torn down and the Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany merged, the strength of the German tanks increased significantly.

The fate of the Danish fairy tale has been laid since the moment Yugoslavia was banned due to the civil war.

Nielsen was indeed interrupted at home renovating the kitchen, but this is not the most representative of the comic's theme.

When he received the call-up order from UEFA, there were still two weeks before the opening game of the European Cup.

However, Nelson found that the national team was "just a bunch of snotty-nosed kids." Many national team players have finished their professional leagues and are preparing for vacation or are already on the plane, looking forward to enjoying the sun, beach, beer, and barbecue.

Schmeichel returned from Manchester, England, and trained with the youth team of Brondby Club. Faced with invitations to friendly matches from other national teams that had advanced to the finals, the Danish Football Association, which had no desire for anything, was happy to let Peter lead Brondby's youth team. Go level up when you are young to gain experience.

The media reported at the time that Henrik Larsson’s first reaction when he received a call from the head coach was: “This is impossible, unless Yugoslavia goes to war.”

“ Yugoslavia is really at war, come on.”

What a hilarious conversation.

A large number of recruited national team players hastily ended their vacation, appeased their families, and rushed to Brondby's rookie village. Many people are very excited about this pie falling from the sky. No one expected that what awaited them was an unprecedented and magnificent dream.

Laudrup Jr., who played for Bayern Munich, suffered a knee injury not long ago. He barely had a few formal trainings and the Bundesliga season was over. He only played 11 times throughout the season, scored 2 goals, and then began to suffer injuries. Laudrup was in Germany when he received the call. He couldn't believe that he could participate in the European Cup. In the end, it was his wife who was 7 years older than him who helped him strengthen his belief.

Estrup's feelings are complicated. He is full of guilt for leaving his family temporarily, and he is ecstatic to participate in the European Cup. When the No. 10 jersey that should belong to Laudrup When I gave it to him, I felt flattered.

God just liked the Danes at that time, what could you do? Estrup came on as a substitute in the final and scored Denmark's first goal with his first touch of the ball.

In the Cinderella fairy tale there is also a great father Wilford (No. 18 of the Danish team). His daughter suffered from leukemia. During the European Cup, he took the time to go back to visit twice. . Fortunately Sweden is not too far from Denmark. This stubborn mustache did not bow to fate. He started in the final, instigated the first goal, and single-handedly captured the German camp.

Strong, he participated in three European Cups in 1988, 1992 and 1996.

In fact, the Danish fairy tale begins like this:

In his first speech after the national team was assembled, Nelson said "My only goal now is to win the European Cup." As a result, everyone's reaction was to burst into laughter.

The top star Laudrup was on vacation in the United States and could not find anyone at all. He was dissatisfied with Nelson's conservative tactical thinking and refused to play for the national team. That season he led the Barcelona Dream Team to win the Champions League and La Liga double. As one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe, he had every reason to be dissatisfied with Nelson's tactics.

So his brother Laudrup Jr. became the team’s number one star, but Effenberg of the German team felt that he was not good enough. The two were teammates at Bayern, and Effenberg was against Laudrup Jr. Pu’s injury is very clear. On the eve of the final, Laudrup was very pessimistic and called Effenberg to complain, "We can't even get 11 starters." The reason was that many people in the team were too tired and three of the four main defenders could not play.

Effenberg and others believed it, but were fooled in the final...

With that cup, Schmeichel became the 20th century player. The world's number one goalkeeper in the last ten years.

In the third group match against France, Denmark, which had previously tied with England and lost to host Sweden by one goal, must defeat the Gallic chickens led by Papin and Cantona. As a result, Henrik Larsson and Estrup scored, pushing the French, who were undefeated in 19 games, into hell.

Sweden in the same group had to defeat England in order to qualify. They did it, and it also helped the Danes. They bravely scored 2 goals against Germany in the semi-finals and lost 2:3, scaring the Germans out. Covered in cold sweat.

Denmark meets the Dutch team with the Three Musketeers and Koeman. And so the climax of the European Cup began. Henrik Larsson actually scored twice and almost killed the Dutchman in regular time.

Schmeichel became famous in one battle, including saving Van Basten’s shot in the penalty shootout , known as "the greatest pounce of the last decade of the 20th century." The five Danish players played perfectly and drove the Dutch back to Amsterdam.

In the semi-finals and finals, Laudrup played at his highest level after recovering from injury. He relied on his movement to involve the defense lines of the Netherlands and Germany, and was called a "national treasure" by Nelson several times.

The final is a big stage for two little people: Jensen. The only goal he scored for the national team was in the final. He was desperate and had no choice.

Wilfort has already been introduced, he is now the director of youth training at Brondby.

"Peter, what do you think of Jurgen (Klinsmann)?" Nelson asked in the dressing room before the final.

"I try my best."

Without the tough guy Peter to resist Klinsmann, Liddell, and Hasler, there would be no final champion.

The most classic joke at that time was:

British fans: "God, the England team was blocked by Peter..."

German fans: "What is this? Even the German team was blocked by him!"

Thanks to Denmark and the 1992 European Cup, many people believed in miracles.

Oh oh oh, full of memories!

First of all, I am not a football fan. I don’t like watching football very much. I happened to watch the European Cup when I was forced to watch it by my classmates.

1992 was my graduation season. I was about to leave school in June. The school didn’t bother to pay attention to us bugs. As long as we didn’t cause any big trouble, we could do as we pleased.

Therefore, the electronic classroom on the second floor of the teaching building was occupied by several students. Because the only place in the teaching building that has electricity at night is also the only place with a TV where you can watch football games.

As a non-football fan, I had no idea that the European Cup was being played at that time. My focus was on the Barcelona Olympics, which was to open in July or August after graduation and before registration. I still can't forget to discuss with my classmates on the desk how many gold medals can be won in that Olympic Games, what events each gold medal comes from, and which athletes. In the end, we came to the conclusion that it is about 16 yuan, which is reasonable.

One night, when I was bored in the dormitory, a classmate suggested that I go out for a walk and take a look at the night view of the campus. After a few days, I will not be able to see it anymore, and from now on I can only see it in my dreams. .

I wholeheartedly agree.

A few people walked all the way to the front of the teaching building. The sharp-eyed classmates noticed that there were lights in the electronic classroom on the second floor. I'm studying.

When I entered the electronic classroom, I found that no one was studying. They were all gathered in front of the TV to watch TV. After asking around, I was told that I was waiting for the European Cup final, which was broadcast live in the middle of the night, between Germany and Denmark.

I was not interested, so I turned around and wanted to go back to the dormitory to meet Duke Zhou. I was grabbed by a classmate who came with me, and I did it all, so I went crazy for once.

My classmate is an out-and-out football fan. I suspect that he didn’t want to come alone and deliberately lured me over to watch the game.

Then just go crazy once. It’s no big deal. If you don’t go crazy, you’ll be old and you won’t have the chance to go crazy. Therefore, I didn’t show much reluctance, so I stayed.

I am not convinced. I am born with a gene that is not easy to agree with or follow the crowd. I secretly hope that the Danish team can slap these idiots in the face.

The game would not be broadcast live until midnight. I found a desk, lay down, closed my eyes and rested my mind, and fell asleep without realizing it. When I was woken up by my classmates, the game had been going on for some time.

I won’t describe the process of the game in detail. Until now, I still can’t name the stars who blurt out in the mouths of football fans, nor can I tell them what magical experiences they have and what a glorious history they have. , let alone understand the formations and tactics on the field.

However, I remembered one name in that game - Schmeichel, the Danish goalkeeper. In my eyes, he is no longer just a goalkeeper, he should be a goalkeeper.

The German tanks rumbled forward to the Danish goal again and again, but failed again and again. Denmark's goalkeeper Schmeichel dived left and right again and again, defusing the German offensive in a thrilling manner, causing the Germans to fail repeatedly.

The sighs on the TV set sounded again and again, louder each time, as the German team gained momentum and failed to score.

Until the Danish team broke through the German team's goal for the first time, they still believed that the German team would definitely win. I guess I was the only one in the group who wanted Denmark to win.

It’s not that I have a great impression of Denmark, I just have no impression at all! As I said before, I just don’t want to follow the crowd or agree with others. This person is a bit out of tune with the people around him and seems unsociable.

This bad character caused me to suffer a lot in my subsequent work and life.

But this character is not without merit. In this society where the jungle prevails, it can help people maintain their conscience and not be vassals or minions. When they come to this world again in the next life, they will have no debt from the previous life.

I digressed, back to the topic.

If they had not been watching the game from the beginning, no one would have thought that the score was actually the Danish team taking the lead.

After conceding a goal, the German team attacked even harder. I seemed to hear the Danes being rubbed on the ground by the Germans, but they let out unyielding groans. The entire stadium was in front of my eyes. Only Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel was left, throwing left and right blocks.

As the Danish team’s second goal arrived, those students who supported the German team began to smash tables and benches. I didn't understand, but I was secretly happy because my idea was about to come true. The Danish team's 2:0 victory taught the German team a lesson, and also taught the idiots who supported the German team in front of the TV a lesson.

To this day, every time I think of a football match, I still have the only impression of this one in my mind. Schmeichel fought tooth and nail to save the goal. He was the number one contributor to Denmark winning the cup and deserves all the credit. great. The name Schmeichel is one of the few football players I can know and remember.

This game was called "Andersen's Fairy Tale" by the media at the time, and the metaphor was very apt and vivid.

The Danish team went from being a temporary substitute in this tournament to becoming a dark horse and winning the European Cup, which surprised everyone. Just like the ugly duckling turning into a swan in Andersen's fairy tale, being praised and praised by people feels extremely inspiring and inspiring.

However, I wonder if you have ever thought about it, can a duck really turn into a swan? Is it genetically mutated, or is it magical? Probably not! The real situation should actually be like this: it was originally a swan cub, but it just ended up in a duck's nest. It did not sink, did not give up, and worked hard to be itself, so time gave it the most fair result.

The same goes for the Danish team. They did not undergo a genetic mutation at that European Cup. They have the technology, tactics, players, organization, environment and all the elements needed to win the championship. They are not eager for quick success. He neither gives up on himself because of temporary difficulties and setbacks, nor does he seek medical treatment in a hurry or change coaches all day long. Instead, make all preparations calmly and wait for the flowers to bloom, and the results will naturally fall into place.

This is something that Chinese football should learn from. As a huge country with 1.4 billion people, the main reason for the failure of football should be itself.

Denmark won the European Cup, and the only thing that I could possibly associate with it was that he won the championship. My youthful student days were gone forever and turned into a distant memory today. .

Now, half my life has passed and the road ahead is unknown. I am still moving forward leisurely on the road, waiting for my own flower or sea of ??flowers to appear. There may be flowers or a sea of ??flowers, or they may never be there, but whether there are flowers or a sea of ??flowers, it does not prevent me from moving on.

I was really excited when I saw this Q&A today. I just wrote the above nonsense without knowing what I was talking about. Just use this question to commemorate your youth!

Above. 2021.05.21

In 1992, there were only 8 teams in the European Cup. Less than getting a World Cup spot. Sweden was the host in that tournament and was placed in Group A with France, England and Yugoslavia. Later, due to the civil war in Yugoslavia, Denmark, the second place in the qualifiers, replaced them. Sweden ranked first in the group with 2 wins, 1 draw and 5 points. Denmark qualified second in the group with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss (at that time, a win was 2 points). In the semi-finals, they faced the defending champion Netherlands, who ranked first in the group. Larsson scored twice. The ball entered overtime at 2:2. In the final penalty shootout, Schmeichel saved Van Basten's penalty kick, allowing the Danish team to enter the final. In the final, they defeated the German team 2:0 to win the championship, and the Danish fairy tale was born!

Fact: I originally planned to renovate the kitchen, but I was called back to the national team to compete in Sweden. "Denmark coach

Nelson

Yugoslavia

Balkans

In the 1992 European Cup, what impressed me most was the match between Denmark and The semi-finals of the Netherlands. Because Denmark is not a traditional European team, it is a second-rate team in Europe. In the eyes of ordinary people, it is not easy for Denmark to participate in the European Cup and advance to the semi-finals. The final was even more miraculous.

Therefore, before the semi-finals, the majority of Dutch fans bought tickets from Danish fans at low prices, and even started to celebrate their team's advancement in advance. I had the same feeling when watching the semi-finals. Opinion. The Netherlands had the dazzling stars of AC Milan's "Three Musketeers" and were almost unstoppable. They had enough confidence to face the unknown Denmark.

However, it turns out that football is round. , The charm of football is like life, you never know what will happen in the next second. AC Milan's "Three Musketeers" super striker Van Basten is in a sluggish state in this European Cup and has not scored a goal since the start of the tournament. In the final, the Dutch team was passive, trailing 1-2 until Rijkaard equalized the score near the end of the game.

In overtime, the Dutch team was all over the place. Pressing hard and suppressing with all their strength, they created many scoring opportunities, and until the end of the 120th minute, the score was still 2-2.

The two sides entered a penalty shootout, and they could only leave their hopes to fate. Failure to win on penalty kicks has always been the curse of the Dutch team, probably starting from this session.

There are two important points in the penalty shootout: one is that Sumechel saved the top scorer Famba. Sten's penalty kick; the last player of the Danish team scored a penalty kick, and finally won 7:6, announcing the beginning of "Andersen's Fairy Tale"

After that, Denmark went all the way to win the European Cup. Champion, perfectly presents "Andersen's Fairy Tales" to the world.

Yes! In that European Cup, there was nothing happening with the Danish team. However, things are unpredictable. The Danish team was given the opportunity to participate as a substitute before the start of the game. It rushed into the battle and no one was optimistic about it. It actually won the championship in the end, just like the Danish literary master Andersen. Reincarnated, a realistic version of the fairy tale about an ugly duckling turning into a white swan!

I remember that the Danish team was in the same group as Yugoslavia in the qualifiers. As a result, Yugoslavia advanced to the finals, but the Danish team did not enter the finals. The team was disbanded and the head coach resigned. The team members are on vacation, and many of them want to watch their football counterparts from other countries in the European Cup in front of the TV.

However, no one expected that before the start of the European Cup, the Yugoslavia team was disqualified, and FIFA and UEFA decided to replace Yugoslavia with Denmark. At this time, the Danish team has been disbanded, the head coach has resigned and left, the players have long been on vacation, and there is no preparation to participate in the European Cup.

In order to make up the number of teams participating in the European Cup, the Danish Football Association asked the unemployed local coach Muller Nielsen to temporarily pull up a national team. Due to conflicts with the coach, Denmark's top star at the time Laudrup was not selected for the national team. It can be said that no one takes such a Danish team seriously, including the Danish Football Association, which does not have much hope for the national team. After all, it was not even shortlisted for the finals, and now it is unprepared to participate in the finals. , no one would have any hope for such a team. The Danish team is in a group with England, Sweden, and France, and these three opponents have targeted the Danish team to score points in advance.

The Danish team faced England in the first match of the group stage. The Danish team positioned itself and defended desperately, but did not allow the English team to score, resulting in a goalless draw and one point. The second game was against the Swedish team, which was the host. In the end, the Danish team lost 0:1. There was no big score against the host. People felt that the Danish team saved face. In the third game, facing the favorite French team, the Danish team will go home if they lose or draw. Only by defeating the French team can they qualify from the group. At that time, almost no one thought that the Danish team could defeat the French team. However, the Danish team finally defeated the French team 2:1 to qualify.

After that, the Danish team magically reached the semifinals. The opponent in the semi-finals was the Dutch team. At that time, the Dutch team was led by the famous "Three Musketeers". At its peak, it was the number one favorite to win the European Cup. However, the Danish team forced the game into a penalty shootout. In the penalty kick team, the Danish team scored all the penalties, while the famous Van Masten, one of the "Three Musketeers" of the Dutch team, missed the penalty kick. Denmark eliminated the Netherlands and advanced. finals.

Denmark’s opponent in the final is the German team. What's interesting is that before the final, people no longer dared to underestimate the Danish team. They felt that the Danish team had a mysterious force helping it. This team was so mysterious that it might even create a miracle in the final. Sure enough, the Danish team seemed to have divine help in making the decision, especially the Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel, who was a god in the first battle and miraculously saved a must-goal shot by the famous Klinsmann. The Danish team finally won 2:0. Defeated Germany and won the European Cup.

Because the Danish team won the championship so miraculous, and the fairy tale master Andersen is a Dane, people all agree that the Danish team staged the "Andersen's Fairy Tale" in football at this European Cup!

Football is very much a matter of chance, but it can’t be every game by chance... Denmark still has some strength... Lao Shu was considered number one in the world back then... With Lao Shu There won't be so much pressure on the defense alone! They dared to play more freely in the frontcourt. The Danish fairy tale had an element of luck, but its strength was also shown

In the history of the European Cup, the Danish fairy tale in 1992 and the Greek myth in 2004 were both miracles. A winning script, but in comparison, the Danish fairy tale is more magical. Because the Danish team was eliminated in the qualifiers at that time, it was not eligible to participate in the European Cup finals that year. However, Yugoslavia was banned from participating due to sanctions due to the war, and Denmark was lucky enough to be a finalist.

Unexpectedly, this replacement directly replaced a "Cinderella" in modern football. A living Andersen fairy tale was staged in the summer of 1992.

"I originally planned to renovate the kitchen, but I was called back to the national team to compete in Sweden," Denmark coach Nelson later recalled. The Danish team is indeed not a weak team. Although the team has first-class stars such as Schmeichel and Laudrup, midfield commander Michel Laudrup decided not to participate with the team.

In the group stage, the "Cinderellas" did not show much magic. They drew a goalless draw with England in the first game, lost to the host Sweden 0-1 in the second game, and only defeated the host Sweden 2-1 in the last game of the group stage. The French team qualified from the group, which was a bit surprising. You know, the French team at that time was full of stars, and Platini commanded superstars such as Papin, Cantona, and Ginola.

In this way, with one win, one draw and one loss in the group, Denmark followed the host Sweden into the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals against the Netherlands, the Danes faced the uncrowned king with three Musketeers and super star Bergkamp. Bergkamp and Rijkaard each scored one goal for the Netherlands, while Larsson scored two goals for Denmark. The two sides entered overtime, but neither side scored in overtime and was forced to enter a penalty shootout.

At this time, the first climax of the fairy tale appeared, ace versus ace, Schmeichel saved Van Basten's penalty kick, bringing Denmark into the final.

In Gothenburg, the Danish team's final opponent was the old powerhouse West Germany. The Germans eliminated the host Swedish team 3-2 in the semifinals.

The fairy tale set the tone in the 18th minute. In the 18th minute of the final, Jensen opened the scoring for Denmark. After that, Wilfort scored the second goal, finally completing the Danish fairy tale.