Who said the international break is boring? Not this time. Not in Switzerland, anyway. The Swiss didn't give the Danes the warmest of welcomes to Basel for the EURO 2020 qualifier after they stormed into a 3-0 lead at St. Jakob-Park but Denmark battled back to earn a dramatic point in a pulsating climax.
The Group D favourites went head-to-head in a bid to claim the early front-runner position for the European Championship Finals next summer, and it was all going to plan for the hosts when Remo Freuler notched his first international goal, and things got even better when Arsenal's Granit Xhaka smashed home a second followed by Breel Embolo making it 3-0. Dead and buried? Usually.
With Switzerland on the verge of making it two wins out of two in their qualifying campaign, the home team took their foot off the gas and Denmark staged a remarkable late comeback. Mathias Jorgensen gave the visitors hope in the 84th minute, and that hope turned into reality when substitute Christian Gytkjaer pulled another back for the Danes as stoppage time approached.
With the Swiss defence a nervous wreck and Denmark sensing an unlikely point, the inevitable happened in the 93rd minute when Brentford full-back Henrik Dalsgaard out-jumped Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer to nod home and spark scenes of the most mixed emotions. How's that for a mad 9 minutes? It ain't over 'til it's over, kids.
Photography by Luca Cavegn for SoccerBible.
