Wales 0-4 Denmark: Heartbreak for Gareth Bale and co as Danes smash four past them

If there was a glimmer of hope for Wales, then it lay in the Danish sense of entitlement. Their fans had basked in the sun on Amsterdam’s Rembrandtplein, some in Viking armour, most of the day and the faintest whiff of complacency was in the air.

They were entirely entitled to it. After an opening which gave hope that the small nation might just defy the odds yet again, Denmark established a superiority which left Rob Page’s side chasing shadows, utterly beaten and now heading home. 

If there was a metaphor for Wales’ struggle to make any kind of imprint then it came after a cross from the right around the hour mark finally gave Kieffer Moore the chance to leap and make an impression with his head. Gareth Bale leapt in front of him to take the ball instead and the opportunity died. The two of them just stood looking at each other, saying nothing, and eventually moved away.

Denmark produced a brilliant display to see of Wales and seal their place in the quarter finals of the European Championships

It was heartbreak for Wales who after some solid group stage performances, struggled to match the workrate of Denmark

Kasper Dolberg found himself in inspired form for Denmark scoring a goal in either half to put Denmark on their way

Wales’ progress had always been contingent on Bale providing a moment of genius to cut through a defence Page had been saying for days would be hard to cut through. It didn’t happen. Wales could provide no surprises while Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand’s tactical shift to a back four did work. Andreas Christensen, in a man-making role on Aaron Ramsey, cut out Wales vital supply line and the other three did the rest.

Wales had joined the chorus of empathy and admiration for Denmark and the way they had dealt with the enormity of Christian Eriksen’s collapse but the team was whistled and booed every timed the gained possession. It was normal football service resuming, though the febrile atmosphere was greater than anything they had experienced from the Turkey-mad crowd, in the vast bowl of Baku’s Olympic Stadium, or even from Italy’s support in their own back yard.

The Danes had made a big sartorial play, strolling the pitch pre-match in their black suits and white pumps, and they had the vast support that had been expected – 5,000, many of whom had spent the morning basking in the sun on Amsterdam’s Rembrandtplein.

For a hugely promising opening 20 minutes, Wales were unaffected. They started the game the more strongly, with Ramsey competing box-to-box once again and Denmark allowing Bale the kind of time and space on the ball with which he can wreak havoc. He’d had two shots on goal before the game was 15 minutes old. A left footed effort swerved a few inches wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s right post. Aaron Ramsey took another ball from Bale down on his chest and watched his shot pinball between the Danish defenders.

Those were the moments Wales needed to seize, as Denmark struggled for composure and rhythm, but Dan James couldn’t get anything started down the left and there was no supply line for Moore to leap and get runners in behind.

It was Denmark who hit a rhythm and stride. A series of fouls helped the Danes find a way back into the game. Inexorably their misplaced passes were cut out and the balance shifted their way, with the threat materialising through the left wing combination of Joakim Maehle and Mikkel Damsgaard.

Wales had found the collective defensive strength to repel advances throughout this competition but that failed them when it mattered, here. Damsgaard, the Sampdoria forward whose form has been encouraging the Danes all tournament, span around Ramsey and played Kasper Dolberg into space in the inside left channel just before the half hour mark. Chris Mepham’s challenge came too late to prevent Dolberg despatching a shot that seemed within Ben Davies’ reach to block but sailed inside him and beyond Danny Ward to put the Danes ahead.

It was a setback that Page’s side never recovered from. The bodies was willing but the minds were not in synch, where they were concerned. Connor Roberts departed with a groin strain, sustained as he chased a ball down the right black that Joe Morrell had placed too far beyond him. Mepham clashed heads with Joe Rodon as they leapt for the same ball.

It was by a process of cause and effect that the situation became unrescuable. When Martin Braithwaite took a ball on the right touchline, drove past Rodon and crossed, three minutes into the second half, it was Neco Williams – still finding his feet – who the ball reached and not Roberts. The substitute right back cleared it straight back into the area to Dolberg, who scored again.

Bale complained bitterly about Simon Kjaer’s fouling Moore in the turnover of possession which had seen the Danes win back possession. He had a point, though the clearance was not just not good enough and from then on in a drilled, intense Denmark team held Wales in a vice.

There were occasional moments when Rob Page’s side broke out. But Christensen cut out Ramsey’s diagonal ball to shut down one threat. When the No 10 did manage to race into space and locate Bale on the left, he could not find a cross with quality to return the ball to him.

Denmark were tactically the more fluid side, shifting to a three-man midfield to block off any means of transitioning from defence to attack. With ten minutes to play Ramsey found himself staring at a line of six defenders as he looked to create

When Denmark launched break-outs of their own, the former Cardiff striker Andreas Cornelius made life very difficult for the defence. Wales were fortunate not to have conceded again before Joakim Maehle scored the third – controlling and cutting in on a ball across the defence, leaving Davies on the turf and cracking home on Ward’s near post. No-one had detected his run.

The fourth came in injury time – a three pass move between Maehle, Cornelius and substitute and Braithwaite, who tucked the ball home.

The match also ended with the bizarre dismissal of Harry Wilson – given a straight red card for a foul on Maehle – but it was Bale’s foul on the same player which seemed more significant. As the Dane travelled down the right, Bale arrived and simply shoved him over the touchline. It was a sign of player who knew that Wales were done. That it was over.

Sportsmail’s Kieran Lynch provided live coverage of Wales vs Denmark at Euro 2020, including all the build-up team news and in-game updates.