Christian Wenande
October 17th, 2018

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They made it … for the third straight time (photo: DBU)

Denmark’s under-21 side qualified for the Euros for the third time in a row last night thanks to a 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands in Aalborg.

The Danes were just a point ahead of Poland following their 1-1 draw last week and needed to win against the Faroese to finish top of Group C.

After a nervy start the Danes eventually got the breakthrough just before half-time thanks to a strike by Jacob Bruun Larsen. A long-range effort by Mikkel Duelund early in the second half sealed the deal, before Magnus Christensen got the third in stoppage time.

READ MORE: Danish women’s 2019 World Cup dreams die in Viborg

Close to being seeded
Euro 2019 will take place in Italy and San Marino between June 16 and 30 and the teams that have qualified so far are Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France (holders), Germany, Italy (hosts), Romania, Serbia and Spain.

A further two teams will qualify next month as Austria, Greece, Poland and Portugal take part in a two-leg playoff. The group stage draw for the tournament then takes place on November 23.

“From a development point of view, it’s very important that the team will take part in the Euros. Now we await the draw with excitement, but as we are number five or six on UEFA’s ranking, we’re just on the precipice of being a top seed,” Flemming Berg, the head of development for the national football association DBU, told BT Tabloid.

Towers champs again
The Copenhagen Towers retained the Danish US football championships on Sunday in a hard-fought 23-22 win over the Triangle Razorbacks in the Mermaid Bowl. The Towers led 16-14 at halftime at Harboe Stadium in Slagelse, but the Vejle-based opposition opened up a 22-16 advantage in the fourth quarter before the Towers got the late touchdown. It’s the eighth time that the Towers have secured the Mermaid Bowl, which puts the capital team in the all-time lead. The Razorbacks are second with seven titles.

Hot on ice
Danish NHL player Mikkel Bødker is off to a hot start at his new club, the Ottawa Senators. The 28-year-old winger has secured five points in the first six games of the season, including his first goal against the Dallas Stars. Bødker was selected eighth overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, making him the highest-ever drafted Danish player. Since then he has also laced up skates for the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks. There are currently six Danes in the NHL: Bødker, Frans Nielsen, Lars Eller, Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Frederik Andersen.

Another Dane to Astana
With Jakob Fuglsang, Magnus Cort and Michael Valgren already on the books, there is little doubt that Kazakh cycling team Astana have a penchant for Danish riders. That fondness was further underlined this week as it was revealed that the team had signed talented rider Jonas Gregaard Wilsly on a two-year contract. The 22-year-old had been on a temporary contract with Astana since August and performed well enough for the World Tour team to be give a more permanent contract. He even garnered praise from the team’s legendary manager Alexandr Vinokurov. Wilsly is a former junior and under-23 Danish champion.

Austria down, Wales next
Denmark will be under pressure against Wales next month in their bid to win their Nation’s League group. Last night, as Denmark beat Austria 2-0 in a friendly, the Welsh did what the Danes couldn’t do in beating the Irish in Dublin, setting up a mouth-watering clash in Cardiff on November 16. The Danes will have to avoid defeat in that game and get a result against Ireland three days later in Copenhagen to win the group. Should the Danes draw against Wales, they will need to beat the Irish to top the group.

Frank bossing Brentford
English Championship side Brentford has unveiled Thomas Frank as its new manager following the departure of Dean Smith to Aston Villa. Frank, the assistant coach since late 2016, is highly respected by players and staff at the London club, according to the club’s Danish sporting head, Rasmus Ankersen. Frank, 45, was the coach of Brøndby from 2013-2016 after successful stints in charge of Denmark’s under-17 and under-19 sides. Three fellow-Danes – Henrik Dalsgaard, Emiliano Marcondes and Mads Bech Sørensen – are in the first team at Brentford.