• The Danes defied all odds to win the 1992 Euros, a tournament they didn’t even qualify for in the first place

• Denmark replaced Yugoslavia after the latter were suspended by UEFA, FIFA

• After a string of upsets, Denmark stunned Germany to win the European Championship

Shilarze Saha Roy

Everyone loves an underdog story. From Leicester City’s Premier League triumph in 2015-16 to Montpellier’s Ligue One victory in 2011-12 to Greece reigning supreme in the 2004 Euros, the odds-defying success of these teams has always immensely thrilled the fans. However, none were quite as exhilarating and shocking as Denmark’s fairy-tale triumph at the 1992 European Championships. They remain the poster boys for all underdog teams, not only because nobody tipped them to win, but also because they didn’t qualify for the tournament in a conventional way. The Scandinavian nation finished second in their qualification group behind Yugoslavia with six wins, one draw and one loss each. While second place would have been enough to make the cut in today’s time, back then only the winners of the groups were allowed to qualify. However, unrest and civil war in the Balkan region meant that both FIFA and UEFA took the drastic step of banning Yugoslavia from playing competitive football. Their decision opened the doors for Denmark as the next-best qualifier from the group as the Danish FA received an official invitation from UEFA to replace Yugoslavia and make up the numbers just two weeks before the tournament proper began. To give one an idea about how last minute the decision was, the Yugoslavian players had already landed in Sweden — the host country — to prepare for the tournament. Denmark players, meanwhile, were preparing to watch the tournament from the sidelines and already planning pre-season friendlies or beach holidays.

To put into context Denmark’s preparations or rather the lack of them, the team’s superstar Michael Laudrup rated his nation’s chances in the tournament so low that he didn’t come out of international exile and stayed on holiday. Following differences with coach Richard Moeller Nielsen, Laudrup had already quit the national team in November 1990 along with his brother Brian and Jan Molby and didn’t deem it necessary to return to the squad. But the rest of the Danish players seized the opportunity with both hands to make a mark in what would be their first major competition. To paint the squad as some sort of riffraff outfit would be a bit unfair even though the majority of their players were based in Denmark at the time, with four plying their trade in Germany, one each in England, France, and Turkey. Peter Schmeichel, who completed his first season at Manchester United under manager Sir Alex Ferguson, was their star goalkeeper, with Brian Laudrup, then with Bayern Munich, John Jensen, and captain Lars Olsen of Turkey’s Trabzonspor providing the outfield inspiration. There was little indication of what was to come though even after Denmark showcased their defensive abilities by eking out a goalless draw against England, who had the likes of Gary Lineker, Stuart Pearce and David Platt. The draw was followed by a 1-0 loss to hosts Sweden that further hurt their chances of progressing from their group. England also drew their second game against France and were well-placed to advance with a favourable result against Sweden in their last match. Denmark, on the other hand, faced the onerous task of beating France who were coached by Michel Platini and included star players such as Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps among others. But Denmark caused an upset when they beat the Frenchmen 2-1 while England suffered a shock 2-1 loss. The Scandinavian country qualified as the second-placed team from Group 1 behind Sweden to set up a semi-final against Group 2 winners, the Netherlands.

The Dutch were the overwhelming favourites and had an abundance of world-class talents like Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Riijkard, Ronald Koeman and a young Dennis Bergkamp in their squad. But defying all odds, a confident Denmark pulled off another stirring win when they beat the reigning Euro champions via a tie-breaker 5-4 to enter the final. The match had ended 2-2 after the regulation time but Schmeichel emerged as the hero for the Danes when he saved a Van Basten penalty in the shootout. But one last miracle was yet to happen. In the summit clash, the Richard Moeller Nielsen-coached side was to face world champions Germany, who had formidable players like Jurgen Klinsmann, Matthias Sammer, Rudi Voeller, and were managed by Berti Vogts. But the spirited and brave Danes altered the script once more as they beat Germany 2-0 — with goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort — to win the tournament.

The magical fairy-tale ending not only stunned everyone but also marked Denmark’s meteoric rise in world football.