Denmark dismantled FYR Macedonia 4-0 in Copenhagen, keeping J. Jensen’s side on track for another World Cup appearance and punching their ticket to the qualifying path final.
Jensen stuck with a 4-2-3-1, trusting Mads Hermansen behind a back line that again included Christian Nørgaard at centre half. Blagoja Milevski mirrored the shape, yet his team could not disrupt the Danish control. Denmark finished with 68 percent possession and spent most of the first half camped in Macedonian territory, even if the breakthrough did not come before the interval.
The release arrived in the 49th minute when Mikkel Damsgaard finally converted sustained pressure. That strike emptied the tension around Parken and sparked the avalanche Jensen had been demanding from the touchline.
Gustav Isaksen then settled the tie inside two minutes. He scored in the 58th minute after Damsgaard teed him up, then again in the 59th minute, capitalising on FYR Macedonia’s disarray. His blend of direct running and clean touches stretched a back four that had been creaking long before half time.
Christian Eriksen replaced Isaksen in the 73rd minute and needed only two minutes to affect the scoreboard, delivering the pass that Nørgaard steered in for the fourth goal. It was a cameo of pure control, reminding everyone why Jensen still leans on his experience despite the youth in this rebuild.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg ran midfield with 85 attempted passes and four tackles, giving Victor Froholdt licence to attack the pockets around the visitors’ double pivot. That central dominance freed both full backs, with Joakim Mæhle constantly pinning Andrej Stojcevski deep.
Milevski responded with a triple change in the 64th minute, introducing Isnik Alimi, Ljupche Doriev and Bojan Miovski, but the scoreboard already read three-nil and the deficit proved insurmountable. Frustration followed: Eljif Elmas collected a yellow card for a foul in the 72nd minute, Enis Bardhi followed in the 86th, and the visitors finished without a shot on target.
Hermansen did not have to make a save, shielded by Nørgaard and Victor Nelsson. Eleven Danish corners underlined the territorial dominance while FYR Macedonia struggled to clear their lines.
Key statistics
- Shots on target: Denmark 9, FYR Macedonia 0
- Total shots: Denmark 20, FYR Macedonia 3
- Possession: Denmark 68 percent, FYR Macedonia 32 percent
- Corners: Denmark 11, FYR Macedonia 2
- Saves: Hermansen 0, Dimitrievski 5
Denmark now wait to learn their opponent for the path final later this week, buoyed by a second-half surge that finally matched Jensen’s pre-match brief. For a wider look at the qualification landscape, yesterday’s Poland vs Albania recap shows how tense the other brackets remain.
