• Denmark face Australia in the last 16 on Monday

• Sondergaard reflects on how he has transformed the national team

• Gevitz praises the coach's role in revitalising the squad

Lars Sondergaard is determined to enjoy “every single moment” at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ as he prepares for what could be his final game as coach against co-hosts Australia.

Denmark take on Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Monday and Sondergaard is expecting a raucous atmosphere for the last-16 encounter.

Having fulfilled their goal of advancing beyond the group phase, Sondergaard does not want his team’s Women’s World Cup journey to end yet and he is eager to relish the experience before he steps down as coach.

“I've thought about that a long time ago when it was public,” the 64-year-old, who was appointed in December 2017, told FIFA, when asked how he feels about the fact it will end soon. “Obviously, the closer you get to the moment, you can either be unsure about the decision or even more sure about it. I am very sure about it.

“I mean, if you have to stop at a national team, the best way to do it is at a World Cup. I'm looking forward to every single game.

“I'm happy that we're through, I'm happy that we're in the knockout phase. I hoped for that before coming here. I don't think about the rest. I'm living in this dream with my players and with the players from the teams that are still in the tournament.

“It's incredible. We have to enjoy it as much as possible. Enjoy every single moment. When it's over, it's over.”

Sondergaard reflects proudly on his achievements as Denmark coach after taking the team to UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and qualifying for a first Women’s World Cup in 16 years.

He added: “I'm happy that we have rejuvenated the team since 2017. It was a bit older team then.

“We didn't qualify for the World Cup in France. After that, we tried to make some changes and got some younger players on the team. At the same time, we qualified for two tournaments, including a World Cup, despite going through all the changes. I'm happy about that. I was very happy about it.

“And it's nice to see that we have potential in Denmark and we have gone through the groups, and we might do even more. That's probably what I'm happiest about.

“But I'll remember that it was my mark in women's football. It was an eye-opener in the beginning. I've met so many fantastic people, good footballers, and ambitious people with goals. I'm happy to have been a part of it all these years.”

Luna Gevitz is fully aware of the role that Sondergaard has played in the rejuvenation of the national team.

“He is the head coach and has helped improve the team for so many years,” said the defender. “He made a generational shift on the team and started something new in terms of the way we play. Alongside his technical staff, he's been a big part of the journey.”

With Australia on the horizon, Gevitz is not thinking about what comes next when Sondergaard walks away.

She added: “Right now, we are here and we focus on the work with the coaches and the squad. So right now, we don't think about what's going to happen later. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

“There can be some thoughts or conversations when we're somewhere else but now that we're here, we focus on this.”

As for what could be his last match at the helm, Sondergaard is anticipating a close contest against Australia and has urged his players to use the partisan crowd as motivation.

“We will play Australia and play to win,” said Sondergaard. “Then we will see what happens afterwards. But our goal is to win that game.

“I think it's going to be a very equal game. I expect it to be equal. It's going to be 50-50.

“They have their fans here to support them. Many of them. But I hope that my players and Denmark can ignore that. At the end of the day, it's still just a football game, 11 against 11 on the pitch with a referee and so on.

“We can either ignore the fans or use it as motivation. So even though they boo at us and support our rival, we can use it as motivation and an inspiration.”

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